Girl with a Porpoise
by Soccer-Geek
Summary: Lettuce Midorikawa was just a shy, smart, but all around ordinary girl with a loving family and some so-called "friends". Then she went on a field trip that would change her life: she became leader of Tokyo Mew Mew. Can she protect the Earth, and herself, from the aliens? And what is she going to do when both her enemy and her boss fall for her? Who will she choose? P/L/R
1. Chapter 1

**Yeah, Geeky-Chan's gone crazy. Again. Is anyone really surprised?**

**Anyways, this is basically a TMM rewrite with Lettuce as the Lead Mew instead of Ichigo. For the most part, the dialogue comes straight from the anime and manga, so it should seem familiar. Also, there will be episodes of the anime that aren't added at all into the story.**

**I'll update this when I update AUpgrade (though this may get extra updates, as I'd really like to have all the Mews introduced by the time I start classes). So, until the end of July, only on Mondays, and then come August it'll be on Mondays and Fridays.**

**So, enjoy!**

**Soccer-Geek does not own anything. Nothing, zilch, nada. Beginning and end of conversation.**

Chapter One:

Lettuce Midorikawa had been looking forward to the field trip at the Red Data exhibit. A day spent with her friends… She smiled at the prospect from where she sat alone on the bus seat.

Her so-called friends—known as the Three Ayas at school, as the girls shared the name, had been friends since kindergarten and always in the same class—were sitting apart from her. The red-haired Aya and dark haired Aya sat together, giggling and whispering to each other. The blond Aya was sitting with her recently-acquired boyfriend.

Leaving Lettuce to be the only one sitting alone on the bus.

But she didn't care. She was still excited. The day was going to be fun.

She just didn't realize how life-changing this day would be.

They arrived at the exhibit hall. By that time, the blond-haired Aya had broken up with her 'boyfriend', leading Lettuce and the other two Ayas spending a few minutes consoling her in the bathroom. After her tears were dry and her make-up fixed, it was like she hadn't even liked the boy, though Lettuce knew that she had a large crush on him.

Lettuce walked around the exhibit hall, admiring the displays and filling out the worksheet the teacher had handed out. Meanwhile, the three Ayas kept busy by texting each other, even though they were all less than a foot away from each other.

Lettuce paused in front of one display.

"Finless porpoise," She muttered, studying the picture of the sea-creature. It was about the same build as a dolphin, but without a dorsal fin. It looked kind of cute. She had always felt herself drawn to sea creatures, even though she couldn't swim to save her life.

But this creature… she was drawn to it more than anything else. Her green brow furrowed.

Why? She wondered.

After prying herself away from the Finless Porpoise display, she gazed around. There were a pair of teenagers about her age, a girl with dark red hair tied into two pigtails following around a boy with black hair and tanned skin. They weren't dressed in school uniforms, so she suspected that they were there for a date instead of for school. It was Saturday after all. The couple paused in front of the Iriomote Wildcat display and the girl 'awwed' over it and looked reluctant to leave.

Across the way was a very pretty girl with gray-black hair tied into two round buns on the top of her head. She looked interested with the displays, but bored of her group, a bunch of men in black suits and shades, keeping a close eye on the girl. Lettuce could see it in her eyes that the girl had a plan for escape so that she could enjoy the exhibit on her own. In particular the Ultramarine Lorikeet display that kept catching her eye…

In the lobby, a small blond child was entertaining the line of people waiting to get in, using her cute charms, sleeves full of tricks and jaw-dropping flips to get money from the people. However, her brown-sugar eyes kept looking inside, sparkling at the Golden Lion Tamarin display.

Cameras flashed as a celebrity entered. Lettuce didn't recognize her by name but did know her face though she couldn't remember where she had seen her. The girl had long dark purple hair and cold dark eyes that glared at everyone. However, when the woman next to her—probably her manager—whispered something to her, the girl put on a large, beautiful smile, her eyes twinkling. Still, the dark eyes drifted away from the crowds, tuning out what was said around her. She only had eyes for the Grey Wolf display.

"Lettuce, we want coffee," The red-haired Aya whined, shoving some yen coins into Lettuce's hand. "And Sensei's mad that we haven't finished our stupid worksheets. Go get us some?"

"Here, leave your worksheet with us so you don't lose it," The black-haired Aya chimed in, replacing the sheet in Lettuce's hand for her own yen.

Lettuce nodded and went over to the small coffee booth. She paid for the four lattes and headed back. However, she ran into something, or more accurately, someone.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!" The girl with red pigtails said, her maroon eyes wide as she instantly helped Lettuce to her feet. "Are you okay? Did you get burned?"

"I'm fine," Lettuce said, getting to her feet shakily, being careful to avoid stepping in the spilled coffee. While none of the hot coffee landed directly on her, she felt some warm flecks on her cheeks. She started to reach up to wipe them away with her sleeve.

"Here, use this instead." Lettuce looked to see the girl with black buns standing there, holding out a white handkerchief while the pigtailed girl picked up the empty coffee cups while the boy she was with went to find a custodian and a mop.

Lettuce accepted the handkerchief and wiped the coffee off with it.

"It's so soft," She said. The black haired girl smiled.

"It's silk." She said. Lettuce's eyes instantly widened and started to hand the cloth back to the girl.

"It's too fine for me to use," She said. "I'm sorry for soiling it."

The girl waved her off.

"Keep it," She said. "You deserve it after this klutz oh so rudely ran you over."

"Hey, I'm not a klutz!" The red-haired girl snapped, hands on her hips. "I was just distracted!"

"Uh huh, by your boyfriend," The black-haired girl teased, causing the red-head to turn scarlet.

"Aoyama-Kun, he's, uh, he's not my boyfriend," She muttered. "Yet."

"There you are! We sent you for the drinks ages ago!"

Lettuce looked up to see the three Ayas approaching.

"So, where are they?" The blond Aya demanded.

"Um, there was an accident, it was my fault," Lettuce muttered, turning red.

"Clumsy Lettuce," The red-haired Aya muttered.

"No, it was my fault," The girl with the pigtails argued. "I wasn't looking where I was going. Here, I'll even pay for you to get some new coffee."

"We don't want coffee, stupid," The black-haired Aya snapped at the girl, who snarled at being called 'stupid'. "It's too hot for coffee. We want cold drinks."

"But… but you said you wanted coffee…" Lettuce said, confused.

The three Ayas looked annoyed.

"You should have known that," The blond-haired Aya said. "Gosh, you're so stupid at times…"

Suddenly, the papers that were in the girls' hands disappeared. The girls started looking around wildly for them.

"Looking for these, na no da?" The small blond girl said from where she stood on one foot on one of the barriers, waving the papers that had each of the Ayas names on it. She grinned.

"Give those back, brat!" The red-haired Aya snarled.

"Got to catch Pudding, na no da!" The child said in a sing-song voice. She jumped between them, expertly ducking, jumping and weaving as the girls tried to get her. Finally, the red-haired Aya snarled and raised her hand.

"Give them back now!" She said, preparing to hit the girl.

Suddenly, Aya's wrist was grabbed and her other arm was pinned behind her back.

"You need to grow up," The girl with purple hair snarled. "Bullying isn't going to get you anywhere."

"Fujiwara Zakuro-Sama!" The girl with the black buns gasped, her eyes going wide and star-struck. Now Lettuce recognized the girl as the famous model and actress. She looked so young…

"We… We weren't…" The blond Aya stammered.

"Oh?" Zakuro Fujiwara said, arching an eyebrow. "Then why did I hear you discuss to send your friend to get coffee so that you could copy off her work? And then plan to tell her she got the wrong thing to give you more time before she caught on. You girls are nothing but big bullies and do not deserve a friend like this." She reached into the pocket of her dress and tossed a ball of paper at Lettuce, who barely caught it. When she flattened out the paper, she saw that it was her worksheet, her name written at the top. "Found it in the trashcan." The model said emotionlessly.

Lettuce felt heartbroken. Her friends were just using her?

Yet… Somehow she wasn't surprised.

The three Ayas stared in fear of the older girl, who was staring at them with her cold eyes. Then, the older girl held out her hand to the blond child, who instantly gave her the papers in her hand, her bright smile unfaltering under the older girl's icy gaze. The purple-haired girl took them and tore them in half, throwing the remains at the feet of the three Ayas, who each squeaked in disbelief. Lettuce cringed; Sensei had warned them that if they had to ask for a new sheet, they would be in trouble, plus it would deduct points from their grade.

"Go. Now. Before I get angry." The purple haired girl snarled.

The three Ayas high-tailed it out of there.

"Geez, what jerks," The pigtailed-girl said, turning to Lettuce. "Why do you hang out with them? You seem so nice..."

"Well, I, I don't really have many friends," Lettuce admitted, blushing some.

"Onee-Chan could do so much better than them, na no da," The blond-child said, wrinkling her nose.

"Yeah?" Lettuce said, smiling sadly. "Well, I don't see many volunteers."

Nearby, the clock struck noon.

And that was when it happened.

When everything changed.

The ground started to shake. Someone screamed, glass broke.

"What's going on?" The girl with black buns yelled, her brown eyes wide.

"Earthquake!" The older girl with purple hair yelled. "Get down!"

The girls did so, each covering their heads with their hands.

Lettuce felt her eyes water.

_I don't want to die today,_ She thought as the building continued to shake around her.

She opened her eyes, looking around frantically. She was standing up, in a place that was dark and cloudy, or was it smoky?

Her hair was down and she wasn't wearing any clothes, her glasses off but she could see perfectly.

She looked around curiously.

_Is this an out-of-body experience? Am I dead?_ She wondered.

That was when she saw it, a small marine mammal swimming through the air towards her.

She blinked, recognizing it from the display.

A Finless Porpoise.

The creature swam up to her, making a sound almost like mewing, or singing. She raised her hand to pet it. It was so cute. Was it a baby? It looked small enough to be.

Then, the Finless Porpoise did something unexpected.

It rammed it's head against her chest.

But instead of knocking her over, it went _into_ her.

_Did-did that really just happen?_ She asked herself as she touched her chest, her eyes wide.

"Midorikawa-San! Midorikawa-San, wake up!"

Lettuce opened her eyes again.

She was lying on the ground, her teacher crouching over her, eyes wide. She was in her school uniform. Her glasses were still on her face, though askew. Her twin braids were sprawled behind her on the floor.

Lettuce put a hand to her head.

"What happened?" She whispered. Then her eyes widened. "The earthquake!" She exclaimed. "Is everyone-?"

She cut herself off at seeing her teacher's face.

"Midorikawa-San, are you alright?" She asked. "And what's this about an earthquake?"

"You-you didn't feel the earthquake?" Lettuce said, trembling now. Sensei shook her head.

"No, there wasn't an earthquake," The woman said. "Lettuce, are you alright?"

"I think so," Lettuce said, sitting up slowly.

But inside she wasn't.

She looked around. There was a small crowd, looking worriedly to see if she was alright. One of the boys in her class brought her a cup of water while one of the exhibit employees led Lettuce and her Sensei over to sit down on a bench, both frantically fussing over her and Lettuce insisting that she was fine, there wasn't a need to call her parents. Even as she said these things, she looked around the hall. There was no broken glass. No cracks in the ceilings, no panic.

No sign that anything out of the ordinary had happened.

And the four girls were nowhere to be found.

But they had been there, she knew. They were real.

The silk handkerchief was in her pocket. The crumpled up worksheet found in her hand. The spilled coffee all around, but the cups gone. One of the juggling balls that the little girl used to entertain the crowd at been beside her foot when she sat up.

She didn't know that the girl with the red pigtails was currently sprawled on the grass of the nearby park, her date sitting beside her worrying and wondering if he should have called someone. She wasn't hurt, just asleep. He smiled. She looked so cute curled up under his jacket, her lips in a small smile… He was wondering if he could kiss her when her eyes fluttered open.

She didn't know that the girl with the black buns was curled up on the backseat of the limo, her elderly nanny gently stroking her hair, every other minute or so feeling her forehead for a fever worriedly.

She didn't know that the small blond child was sleeping peacefully underneath a tree, a hand clenched protectively around the Yen bills she had earned that morning. She dreamt that she was in her mother's arms again. She smiled in her sleep and whispered, "Mama…"

She didn't know that the purple-haired model sitting in the staircase by herself while outside her manager and personal assistant searched frantically for her. She knew something had happened, could feel it inside, knew there was a reason she woke up sitting on the cement stairs with her head against the cool cinderblock wall. There was a pressure building up inside of her, begging to be released. But she didn't know how to make that happen. Didn't know if she wanted to make that happen.

But each girl had woken up with the same question.

_What had happened?_

_Or,_ Lettuce thought as she sat alone on the bus, gazing out the window. _What is about to happen?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Early update, just 'cause I couldn't wait till Monday! :)**

Chapter Two:

"Mom, I need an excuse note for gym class," Lettuce said as she entered the kitchen Monday morning. Her mother's eyes instantly went wide and she put her hand on Lettuce's forehead.

"Are you alright? Do you feel dizzy? Do I need to take you back to the doctor? I think I can get an appointment with your pediatrician for this morning…" Yomogi Midorikawa fretted, now searching the kitchen for the phone number of the doctor's office.

Lettuce sighed.

Her parents and younger brother had been overly protective of her after learning about what had happened at the exhibit hall on Saturday while on her field trip. She had been dragged red-faced to the emergency room where she was proclaimed to be in perfect health by the doctor and it was suggested that she was merely dehydrated when she fainted. Nevertheless, Lettuce spent Sunday confined to bed with her family waiting on her hand and foot to her embarrassment. She had done a lot of begging to be allowed to go to school the next morning.

"No, Mom, I'm fine, really," Lettuce said. "It's just that, well, we're starting swimming in gym class."

Her mother gazed at her sadly.

"Lettuce, sweetheart, you're going to have to learn sometime," She said with a sigh.

"I know," Lettuce said, turning red. "But, I really don't want to be the only one who has to learn in a junior high P.E. class. Just say it's my time of the month or something? Please?"

Mrs. Midorikawa sighed.

"I will this time," She said. "But over summer, you're going to learn, alright?"

"Alright," Lettuce said, cringing. She wasn't afraid of water. She just was afraid of learning to swim, or to put it in her own words, learning how to not drown. Lettuce was the only one in her family who couldn't swim. Even her own little brother had learned before her. Lettuce just didn't want to and no one pushed her. She stayed in the shallow end of the pool, didn't go in past her knees at the beach, was cautious when walking around ponds. Everything was alright.

Lettuce got the note and tucked it in her bag, kissing her mother's cheek before heading out the door for school.

Apparently, the Three Ayas remembered nothing of what happened on Saturday and let Lettuce sit with them as they gossiped before class.

"Still can't believe you fainted, Lettuce," The blond Aya said, leaning her elbows on the desk. "What are you, anemic or something?"

"I really don't know," Lettuce said, blushing. "The doctor said I was fine. I don't even remember passing out or what happened before that."

That was a lie. She remembered everything. The girl with the red pigtails on her date. The girl with black buns escaping her bodyguards (Really rich or part of a Yakuza family? Or both as the case may be?). The famous model with the smile that could light up a city and cold eyes that stared deep into your soul. The little blond girl and her cute little 'na no da' and tricks.

Where had they gone? She hadn't seen a trace of them after that.

And what had truly happened?

Lettuce pondered these questions throughout the day.

She barely noticed when everyone started to leave the classroom.

"Lunch already?" She muttered.

The Ayas rolled their eyes together.

"Get it together, Lettuce, just gym class," The black-haired Aya said.

"At least it's in the pool," The red-haired Aya said as she pulled her school-issued swimsuit out of her bag. "No stupid running laps."

"I wish I could wear my own bikini," The blond-haired Aya sighed. "The school suits are ugly."

Lettuce instantly dove for her bag for her excuse note.

"I'm so glad I'm sitting out," She said. "The swimsuit looks awful on me and the chlorine does weird things to my- AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The Ayas stared at Lettuce in shock as she suddenly fell to her knees, overturning her bag, searching through the contents.

"WHERE IS IT?" She yelled, her eyes wide, searching for her excuse note. "WHERE'S THE NOTE?"

But it was no use.

The note was gone.

Lettuce gulped.

She was going to have to face the pool.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

"But Sensei-!" Lettuce pressed.

"I don't want to hear it Midorikawa!" The gym teacher said. "No note, no excuse."

"What if I got one from the nurse?" Lettuce asked.

"No, the school nurse isn't allowed to give out excuse notes right before class," The teacher said. "I'm sorry, Midorikawa, but that's the school rule. Now go get changed."

Lettuce held back her tears, refusing to cry. She entered the locker room and grabbed her school-issued swimsuit. She quickly changed into it, wanting as few girls as possible to see her doing so, turning red all the while.

_Why me?_ She asked herself, trying hard not to let her tears escape.

Unfortunately, within minutes she was ready. As she scrambled to find a towel, one of the other girls in her class said,

"Midorikawa, what's up with the mark on your chest?"

"Is it a love-bite?" Another girl asked, grinning wickedly.

"Midorikawa, I underestimated you," Another girl said with a smirk.

"What are you talking about?" Lettuce asked, her brow furrowed. Then she looked in the mirror and frowned.

On her chest, just above her bust and right underneath the collar of the swimsuit, was a small pink mark. It was two curved lines facing into each other and between it was a heart. She touched it and it tingled. It didn't feel like scar tissue, rather it was more like it was a freckle or birthmark, part of her skin.

She didn't get to ponder it long as they heard the whistle blow, calling them to the pool. Lettuce lingered in front of the mirror for a moment, wondering what the mark was and where it came from.

Lettuce tried hard not to tremble as she walked by the Swimming Pool of Doom. She also was trying hard not to think about what would happen when everyone learned that she couldn't swim.

However, she didn't get to worry about that long.

One of the kickboards used in the last class was left beside the pool. The other girls saw it and stepped over it or around it. But Lettuce, not focusing on what was going on around her, tripped over it with a cry.

Seeing that she was going to hit the cement head first, Lettuce twisted her body to control her fall…

…Right into the deep end of the pool.

Lettuce sank to the bottom, eyes squeezed shut. She could hear the muffled voices from above her, someone screaming for help, that she had fallen.

But, no water filled her lungs. She could breathe underwater. Intake and exhale. Nothing different than being on ground.

She placed her feet on the tiled bottom of the pool, her hair floating around her, her eyes wide. Usually she hated water in her eyes, whether it was there by raindrops or while in the shower or splashed by accident. But now she didn't feel the need to squeeze her eyes tight and rid her eyes of the water.

What was going on?

She shook her head and pushed her feet against the tile, kicking with her legs to go up to the surface, like she saw her little brother do. Her head emerged from the water and she quickly took a big breath. But breathing fresh air was just like breathing under water.

"Midorikawa-San, are you alright?" The teacher asked from where she knelt beside the edge of the pool, her eyes wide. She had been about to dive in when Lettuce started to resurface.

"H-hai," Lettuce whispered. She managed to get to the edge of the pool and inched her way back to the shallow end, still stunned. While the other girls splashed around during free-swim time, she stayed in the corner, rubbing her cold arms, staring at the deep end of the pool.

She still couldn't swim.

But she could breathe underwater.

Lettuce took off her glasses, folding them in her hand. Carefully, without taking a first breath, she slipped under the water. She could still breathe easily. She could see, possibly even better than she did with her glasses. She could see the blond Aya's favorite nail-polish color on her toes across the pool. A small scar on the leg of another girl. Any and every little crack in the tile.

She stayed under for a few more seconds, but only a few more. She brought her head above the water and leaned her head back against the edge of the pool, staring up at the blue sky.

She just couldn't understand…

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

The next period was lunch.

Lettuce's stomach grumbled as she got in line for food, the scent of chlorine still lingering around her and her wet hair sticking to the back of her shirt. Her nose pricked up at smelling the ramen that was being served. But it wasn't the noodles that caught her attention. It was the smell of the broth and the pieces of meat that floated in it.

As she got closer, she leaned in, smelling, breathing in the sweet scent. She smiled as she withdrew.

"Shrimp," She whispered dreamily. "Caught in the southern sea. During the winter."

The lunch lady and the kids on either side of her just stared at her. Lettuce realized this and turned scarlet.

"I'll have ramen, please," She said, ducking her head and holding out her bowl. She quickly got her meal and went on.

Just as she suspected, the shrimp was delicious.

As she ate, she pondered her choice. She liked shrimp, but never craved it like she was today. Fish was okay, but she rarely ate it. So why did she ask for sushi when her parents told her that she could have whatever she wanted to eat after leaving the ER on Saturday night? Come to think of it, fish had been on her mind a lot yesterday too. She sat in her room and watched the nature channel and sat wide-eyed at the documentaries on sea life.

_What's happening to me?_ She wondered. _Is this just a new weird PMS thing?_

But that couldn't be. Her PMS wasn't supposed to start till the end of the month. So what was going on?

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

After the last bell, Lettuce grabbed her things and raced for the door. The day had been completely and terribly weird and she just wanted to get home. She would go home and take comfort in the company of a good book and a cup of tea. Yes, that was all she really needed…

She started on her route home when she stopped for a light. Her shoulders drooped when she saw a sign ahead.

"Road Closed for Construction," She muttered as she made out the kanji. And it was the entire street, too. She couldn't just take the sidewalk. She'd have to go around…

She crossed the street and went along the other path, leading her into a small park. After looking at the park map, she saw that if she took a certain path it would get her to her regular path and out of the construction site. She quickly scribbled a copy of the map on a piece of scrap paper and headed off.

She started for the path, then paused and turned.

Standing near the gate of the park was a tower-like building. It was pink and white and the windows were shaped like hearts.

"Café Mew Mew, coming soon," She read on a sign near the gate surrounding the building. She smiled. "I'll have to come here once it's open. It sounds cute."

With that, she headed down the path.

She was alone, but that didn't scare her.

Or, at least, it didn't scare her until something leapt out of the bushes ahead of her.

Lettuce jumped and screamed, but then relaxed at seeing it was only a rat. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"You scared me," She said to the rat. "Now go on, go back to your friends."

The rat stared at her. With a sigh, she crouched down.

"Go on," She said. "Shoo. Your friends have got to be better than mine."

The rat blinked then started to scurry off. Lettuce smiled and continued down the path.

Then she stopped again and jumped at the sound of a pained howl. Her eyes widened and her bag fell out of her hand as she saw…

A monster. A big, huge ugly monster. That was currently coming at _her_.

"Aaah!" She screamed, backing away. She tripped over a tree root and fell on her rear-end, the monster getting closer and closer.

Suddenly, a tall boy with blond hair came out of nowhere, grabbed her in his arms and leaping into a nearby tree.

"Don't take offense, but you're a bit heavier than you look," The boy said.

Lettuce looked up… and instantly turned red. The boy was very handsome and had big blue eyes. He wore black pants, black boots, a red tank top underneath a sleeveless jacket with black straps hugging his biceps and a popped collar, and a red cloth choker.

"What?" She squeaked. "Who are you? What is that thing?"

"That thing is a Chimera Animal," The boy said grimly. "And you, Lettuce Midorikawa, are the only one that can defeat it."

"Ehhhh!" Lettuce exclaimed, her eyes going wide. "What-how-what?"

She pushed herself away from the boy, and regretted it as she fell out of the tree. She somersaulted in midair, landing crouched on the ground and very stunned, but unharmed.

"Uh, as much as I admire your enthusiasm," The boy said, a bit dryly. "I think you need—"

But it was too late, the monster was going after her. The boy's eyes went wide, his heart in his throat.

_No, no it can't end like this! NO!_ He thought frantically, knowing there was nothing he could do...

Lettuce's eyes widened. With a scream, she then squeezed her eyes shut, ducking to the ground, bracing for pain.

Inside her head, inside her heart, a little voice whispered the words of power to her. The words to say to survive.

She felt it inside her bones, something great and beautiful, something that made her feel so alive and strong in that moment.

It was in that split second that her face was that of seriousness, glaring up at the beast as she brought her fingers together over the strange mark on her chest. Though she didn't know it, her eyes had changed.

Her sapphire eyes had turned lime green as they glared overtop her glasses that had slid down her nose. Her eyes had become hard, strong, confident.

She knew what to do.

In a low voice, she said,

"Mew Mew Lettuce, Metamorphosis."

From her figure crouched on the ground, green light erupts from her, blasting the creature back.

The boy's eyes go wide as the smooth, golden oval in the palm of his hand flew to her. She stood up and caught the pendant, taking it in both hands before pressing her lips to it and moving it down to her mark. As she did so, the light around her shone brighter, spread out more so that the boy could no longer see her where she stood on the ground.

She felt something pulsate through her, the waves echoing throughout her body.

She was back in the out-of-body experience. Something was happening. Something was connecting. Something was _changing_.

And that something was _her_.

She felt herself being bathed in light, wrapping around her and making her feel warm. She relaxed, let it happen, let it clothe her.

When she opened her eyes she had become an entirely new person.

She stomped her feet as she clapped before putting one hand on her hip and the other in the air, yelling as she did so,

"For the future of Earth, I'll give it my all!"

She blinked, not realizing that she had done the action without her prior planning.

"Ehh?!" She exclaimed suddenly, looking down at herself. "What's going on?"

She wore a tight-fitting strapless pale green dress. It had a ruffled skirt that went to a few inches above her knee in the front and to her ankles in the back. Around her waist was a string of pearls hanging around her hips and smaller pearls along the top of the bodice. She wore knee-high, heeled, dark-green boots with pale green laces going all the way up. Her hair was down, shiny and lime green. It was loosely curled and had beautiful pearls entwined. She wore a pale green cloth choker with the stone hanging from it, and wore something similar as a garter on her right leg just above her knee and on her upper arms. Around her wrists were two golden bracelets, identical except for the fact that the right bracelet had a green gemstone in the shape of heart on the front. But the weirdest part was that, coming out of her scalp, were two long ribbons that curled around her body. She reached her hand up and her eyes widened at finding that they were attached to her head.

"What is this?" She demanded, looking up at the boy, who looked pleased. "And who are you?"

"I'll tell you, after you beat that thing," He said. He grinned. "You're doing better than I thought. You've got this all on your own."

"What do you mean?" Lettuce demanded.

"Listen to that voice, the one that told you how to transform," He encouraged.

With that, the words came to her throat. She crossed her arms over her chest, her wrists crossing over her mark, her right hand over the left, showing the now-glowing green gemstone.

"Lettuce Tanets!" She called.

Instantly, in her hands were a pair of green and gold castanets that had a green gem heart and a green ribbon trailing from them. She clicked them before bringing them over her head, glaring at the monster.

"RIBBON… LETTUCE RUSH!" She yelled, bringing her arms in front of her, hitting the monster with a jet of water.

The monster struggled, but it shrank considerably until all that was left was the rat Lettuce had seen only minutes before and a pale jelly-fish-like creature floating above it.

A small green puffball with large eyes came out of nowhere and swallowed up the jellyfish.

"Collect!" It chirped.

Lettuce stood there, stunned.

What had she just seen?

And, an even scarier thought, what had she just done?

* * *

**Yes, I changed Lettuce's Mew outfit. I thought that if she was going to be leader, she was going to get a different outfit. Ichigo's is a bit different, but only slightly-as you'll see later-and her Mew Mark is in a different place.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Until the second-to-last week of August-my college classes beginning on the 26th-I will post chapters for this on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Just forget what I said in the first chapter about it being only on Mondays and Fridays. Basically, I'm just trying to get all the Mews introduced before I go on hiatus with spontaneous postings. This thing has ended up being a lot more chapters than I originally thought it would...  
**

Chapter Three:

Just then, another older boy with long brown hair tied in a ponytail entered the area. He, too, was very handsome and had kind brown eyes and sweet smile. He wore black pants, a white dress shirt and suspenders along with black shoes.

"Congratulations on defeating the Chimera, Mew Lettuce," The boy said, approaching Lettuce.

"Uh, thank you?" She said. "How do you know my name? And who are you?"

"Forgive me," The boy said, bowing some. He took her hand and kissed it. "I am Akasaka Keiichiro. And as I know he has yet to introduce himself, he is Shirogane Ryou."

The blond boy—Shirogane—rolled his eyes before jumping out of the tree, landing on his feet.

"I was getting around to introducing myself, Keiichiro," He complained.

"Of course you were," Keiichiro said still smiling.

"I don't understand," Lettuce said, looking back and forth between the two, shaking slightly. "I still don't know who you are. Or why I'm dressed like this. Or what that thing was."

"Follow us, and we'll explain everything," Ryou said, heading down the path that Lettuce had come from.

Keiichiro smiled at Lettuce kindly.

"If you would like, you can de-transform," He said.

"How do I do that?" She asked.

"Just picture yourself as you were before," He said.

Lettuce did so and felt her warmth be stripped away. When she opened her eyes, she was back in her school uniform, her glasses perched on her nose and her hair in braids.

Keiichiro nodded and led her down the path.

Lettuce's brow furrowed as Ryou opened the gate to the little Café she had seen. He walked down the path towards the building.

"What is this place?" She asked.

"Café Mew Mew," Keiichiro said. He and Ryou took hold of each of the handles and threw the doors open.

Lettuce's eyes widened with awe as she stepped inside the Café. It was even cuter on the inside with white furniture and pretty napkins and tiny forks and plates.

"Also known as our headquarters," Ryou said.

"Headquarters?" Lettuce repeated, turning to look at him. Ryou nodded.

Keiichiro took a white box with a green ribbon off of a nearby table and handed it to Lettuce.

"Here, go put this on," He said, not attempting to mask his excitement. Lettuce glanced down at the box suspiciously, then up at the boy. What exactly did he want her to wear?

"Go on, I want to see how it looks," Keiichiro encouraged. "The changing room is just down the hall."

"O-okay," Lettuce muttered. She went down the hall and entered a small white room with a vanity table and footstools and five lockers of different colors. Her name was on the green locker.

She opened the box and pulled out the clothes. She put it on and admired herself in the mirror, smiling.

It was a cute little maid's dress. Dark green dress with light green accents and a white apron. It came with pale green socks, black shoes with green hearts on the tongues and a little white headpiece. She thought she looked very cute in it.

"Well, what do you think?" She asked the boys as she exited.

"It's perfect!" Keiichiro said, grinning. "And it looks wonderful on you, Lettuce-Chan!"

"Thank you, but what is it for?" Lettuce asked.

"For your cover," Ryou said from where he sat in a chair.

"Cover?" Lettuce repeated.

Ryou grabbed another chair and set it out for her.

"Might as well get comfy," He said.

The lights dimmed as soon as Lettuce sat down. On the wall was a projection of the Earth.

"Midorikawa Lettuce, the earth is in danger," Ryou said. The pictures changed to that of more monsters like Lettuce had just fought. "The Chimera Animal you saw today was created by a race of aliens called 'Cyniclons' who are out to capture earth and destroy all human life."

"What? Why?" Lettuce asked, confused.

"We don't know," Ryou said. "All we know is that we've got to protect Earth. That's where you come in.

"The Mew Project was started by my late father several years ago. Keiichiro and I have recently finished the work he began. The goal of the project was to insert the DNA of Red Data animals into other Red Data Animals, strengthening them so that they could fight the Chimeras. However, when we launched the project two days ago, we ran into one small problem.

"An earthquake started right as we activated the project. Instead of hitting animals, the DNA went into five different girls. You, Midorikawa Lettuce, are one of these girls."

"What?" Lettuce said, her eyes wide as she looked back and forth between the two boys. "Seriously?"

Keiichiro smiled gently at her.

"Seriously," He said.

"So, there's four other girls like me?" She asked.

"Yes," Keiichiro said. "And each will have a different animal DNA."

"What's mine?" Lettuce asked.

"You haven't figured it out?" Keiichiro said, frowning. Lettuce blushed, feeling stupid.

"It's not exactly an easy guess, Keiichiro," Ryou said, rolling his eyes. "Lettuce, your DNA is infused with that of the Finless Porpoise."

She blinked.

"Well, that explains a lot," She said. She then frowned. "But, is there truly not a way that fighting could be avoided? Surely if these aliens are intelligent enough to create Chimera Animals like that, they could participate in peace talks or something, right?"

"Perhaps peace talks would be possible in the future," Keiichiro said. "However, we haven't even seen one of these aliens, only the Chimera. We don't even know if they will appear, or just continue to send out Chimeras. But, at the moment, the most important thing is protecting Earth, the human race and everything else that lives on this planet. You, and the four other mutated girls, are the only ones who can do that. Like I said, talking peacefully might be possible in the future, but for now we need to protect our planet. Can you do that, Lettuce-Chan?"

Lettuce took a deep breath and nodded as she exhaled. She didn't like the idea of fighting. She was a firm believer that everything could be solved without violence, however she was quite aware that the rest of the world—and now, the rest of the universe—didn't share that belief with her. But Keiichiro was right. There were lives at stake, human lives: men, woman and children, from the elderly knowing that they were taking their final breathes down to the ones still in their mother's womb who had yet to taste the air of the outside world. She would protect them all at any cost, and the planet they all called 'home'.

"How am I supposed to find these other girls?" Lettuce asked, stricken by a new thought.

Suddenly, Ryou was in front of her. Her eyes widened as he suddenly put his finger on her chest, right where her own strange mark rested on her body. She turned red when she noticed how close he was to touching her bust.

"Each girl will have a mark like the one on your chest. Not necessarily in the same spot, but somewhere on their body. That is how you'll know for sure." Ryou said.

Lettuce smacked his hand away and he went back to standing with his arms crossed over his chest. She protectively put her hand over her bosom, still blushing and unable to meet his eyes.

"Alright, so how about before Ryou gets charged with assault, I give you this," Keiichiro said.

He held out the green puffball with wings and big eyes to Lettuce.

"He's so cute!" Lettuce said, petting it.

"So cute! So cute!" It chirped.

"This is R2000," Keiichiro said. "He's a robot designed to collect the infusers that create Chimera Animals. He also will alert you when there is a Chimera nearby. Also, he has some of the pendants for the other girls so that if you find them, he can give them to the other Mews."

"He's mine?" Lettuce asked as Keiichiro placed R2000 in her hands. He nodded. "Thank you very much!" Lettuce said, cuddling the robot, which rubbed against her cheek like a cat. "But is it okay if I change his name? R2000 is kind of a mouthful."

"Of course," Keiichiro said.

Lettuce thought for a second then smiled.

"How about I call you… Mini-Mew?" She asked the robot. "Do you like that?"

"Mini-Mew! Mini-Mew!" The newly dubbed robot chirped.

"I think that's a yes!" Lettuce said smiling.

Suddenly, Mini-Mew made a popping sound and disappeared. Or didn't disappear, as it turned out, just got smaller in the palm of her hand.

"This way he can act as a phone charm or decoration for your bag so that he doesn't get discovered," Keiichiro explained.

"That's so cute!" Lettuce squealed.

"Oh, yeah, and one more thing," Ryou said.

"There's more?" Lettuce asked, surprised.

"You have to work as a waitress here," Ryou said. "I'll help you wait tables till you find the another girl. Then you're on your own. Got it?"

"That explains the outfit," Lettuce said. Then she started to panic. "You know, I really don't think me as a waitress is a good idea. I'm really clumsy and—"

"Don't worry," Keiichiro said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "The Café is a cover. We shouldn't get too many customers. Besides, accidents happen. We have the Laws of Gravity. Nothing we can do about that. Plus," His eyes twinkled. "You get to eat as much cake as you like. For free."

Lettuce's eyes widened.

"Really?" She said. He nodded.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Meanwhile, in a different dimension, there was a small, glowing blue orb surrounded by dozens of glowing infusers.

Suddenly a voice, almost like that of a child spoke from the orb.

"This blue planet shall be mine."

A figure, human in body shape, rose to its feet.

"Yes." Came the response in a male voice.

"Do whatever is necessary to get it." The childlike voice said.

Cat-like eyes gleamed wickedly in the dark.

"Please leave it to me." The voice said.

He would not let his master down.

* * *

**Ooh. Mysterious alien. Question is, which one is it? ;)**

**And, yes, Mini-Mew! The name Mini-Mew is the only Mew Mew Power thing I actually really, really like (well, that and Sardon's posh, British accent... *drools*) and since Masha can't be called Masha since Ichigo's not the one naming him... MINI-MEW! :D Essentially, he looks just like Masha but is green instead of pink.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

After changing back into her school clothes and retrieving her bag, Lettuce headed back to her home, Mini-Mew hanging from her cellphone.

"So, what should be our first step to finding these other girls, Mini-Mew?" She asked. "Can you place a personal ad in the newspaper for this sort of thing? 'Superheroes wanted, can remain anonymous' or something like that?"

Suddenly, Mini-Mew grew bigger.

"Alien! Alien!" He shrieked.

Lettuce's eyes went wide and she looked around, heart pounding.

But she saw nothing.

"False alarm, Mini-Mew," She said. "There's no one—"

Suddenly, a small dog came out of nowhere and jumped on her, sending Lettuce tumbling to the ground, giggling as the dog licked her cheeks.

"You're very friendly," Lettuce said as she scratched the dog behind the ears. She studied the fluffy, tan-colored Pomeranian. "You look well cared for. Is your owner nearby?"

"Miki! You naughty puppy, come!"

Lettuce saw a small elderly woman in a kimono standing beside a limo. She had been the one who called for the dog.

"Oba, is he coming?" A voice from inside the car asked worriedly.

"You can stay in the car, Miss Aizawa. Miki is coming," The woman said soothingly.

But the girl didn't listen. Instead, she poked her head out the limo. The small dog saw her, wagged his tail and bounded over to her as she climbed out of the car.

The girl picked up her dog and approached Lettuce, who tried to hide her surprise.

It was the girl with the two black buns from the Red Data exhibit.

"I'm sorry about Miki, he just loves people," The girl said, scratching the dog behind the ears.

"I-It's alright," Lettuce said, smiling nervously, wondering if the girl recognized her.

The girl studied Lettuce with her cool brown eyes.

"You look familiar," She said. "Where do you go to school?"

"O-Okumura J-Junior H-High," Lettuce stammered out. The girl frowned slightly.

"Huh," She said. "That's not the uniform of my school anyway, so I guess that's not where I've seen you…"

"It was Saturday," Lettuce spat out. "At the Red Data Animal exhibit."

The girl just blinked, freezing just noticeably. Lettuce turned red.

"You-you loaned me a silk handkerchief," Lettuce continued. "I, I still have it if you want it back. It's at home right now, but I can still—"

"No need," The girl said with a slightly condescending smirk. "I don't want it back."

"Are you sure? It must have been expensive…" Lettuce said, feeling flustered.

The girl shrugged.

"I've got plenty more where those came from," She said haughtily. "Anyways, sorry about Miki. Sayonara."

With that, she turned on her heel, her tiny high-class nose in the air, and walked away.

Lettuce stood and watched the limo leave, feeling very confused as to what just happened.

But she knew one thing for sure.

This girl recognized her.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

The next afternoon, Lettuce stood in the kitchen with Keiichiro as he iced a cake and Ryou as he ate a piece of cake.

"She was there that day," Lettuce said. "Do you think she's one of the girls?"

"Could be," Ryou said. "But weren't you there with your class? Maybe one of the girls from your school is a Mew. Have you looked for marks on them?"

"Y-Yes," Lettuce muttered, turning red.

"And?" Ryou pressed.

"I'd rather not talk about it," She mumbled as she remembered the disaster that was that morning.

She had greeted the Three Ayas with more enthusiasm than usual and instantly started staring at their arms, legs and necks, hoping to see a mark, and even asked them if they had noticed anything. She had practically leapt onto the black-haired Aya when she saw a dark colored mark on her shin, but then realized it was just a bruise from where she hit it on a low table. After begging for forgiveness for over-reacting (the forgiveness readily given once Lettuce agreed to do all three girl's math homework), it had been awkward and embarrassing after that and the Three kept giving her weird looks all day. Lettuce hadn't bothered to check any of the other girls that had been there that day, still feeling humiliated.

"Well, let's forget about finding the other girls and marks for right now," Keiichiro said kindly, placing a plate into Lettuce's hand. "Will you please take this to table 3 for me, please, Lettuce-Chan?"

"Sure, Akasaka-San!" Lettuce said brightly. She stepped out of the swinging doors of the kitchen and her eyes instantly widened and her smiled dropped.

The Café was crowded with girls from various schools sitting at the small tables and waiting to be seated.

"Excuse me? Can you take our order?"

"Can we have the check please?"

"Where's my tea?"

"Waitress!"

Lettuce stood there stunned and trembling.

_So much for_ 'The Café's just a cover. We won't get many customers'_… _She thought despairingly as she forced herself to enter the chaos.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

A few hours later, Lettuce sat at a table, completely exhausted and about to cry. She had mixed up several orders, dropped food and drinks, broken dishes and in the end did everything by herself. Keiichiro had to stay in the kitchen making food and drinks while she waited tables, cleaned up after the customers, rang them up and led people to open tables. She had no idea where Ryou went, he just disappeared.

Suddenly, a white piece of cardstock landed on the table in front of her. She glanced up to see Ryou standing there.

"Here," Ryou said. "If you hurry, you'll get there in time for the curtain to rise."

"Huh?" Lettuce said, her brow furrowed as she picked up the cardstock.

It was a ticket, she realized, for a ballet recital that started in half an hour.

"Shirogane-San, what's this—" She asked, looking up again.

But he was gone.

"For?" She finished with a sigh. She looked back down at the ticket. Ryou gave it to her for a reason, and she was going.

After quickly changing, Lettuce ran to get to the concert hall where the recital was being held. She quickly forked over 200 Yen for a program and found herself a seat in the back. She watched as some girls around her age danced. She followed the program intently, learning the names of all the girls who danced. She recognized none of them, nor their names. She was starting to wonder why Ryou sent her there...

Then, the very last dancer appeared and Lettuce sucked in a gasp.

It was the girl with the black buns, dressed in a beautiful white costume with a wide, flat tutu, white tights and red toe shoes.

Lettuce quickly scanned the program in the dark, searching for the name.

Aizawa Mint.

"Aizawa Mint," Lettuce whispered, looking up as the music began, watching the girl dance.

Lettuce watched in awe as the girl effortlessly flitted around the stage. She looked so at ease, so happy, pouring passion and love for ballet into her dance. These emotions were not just visible in her steps, but in her smile, shining brightly. It was not something she had seen with the other dancers. They appeared to be continuously going over their routine in their heads, wanting everything to be precise. This girl seemed to just go with the music, carefree but still with that sense of knowing exactly what she was doing.

Lettuce oohed as she watched the girl perform four pirouettes in a row before suddenly leaping through the air. She wasn't just jumping, she was _flying_. Flying through the air with the grace of a swan in flight, landing on her toes and instantly pirouetting again. The crowd oohed and ahhed, eyes wide with excitement.

Lettuce gripped the seat in front of her, her heart racing.

There was something about this girl. Something she had to investigate.

After the show, Lettuce sat outside with Mini-Mew on a bench.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone do anything with that much passion before, Mini-Mew," Lettuce said. "She is definitely devoted. It was amazing."

Suddenly, Mini-Mew grew larger and chirped,

"Alien! Alien!"

"Huh?" Lettuce said, looking around. "Where?"

Then she saw the girl—Mint Aizawa—come down the stairs and entering the waiting limo.

Lettuce watched, then stood up to follow.

Could there be an alien following this girl?

Lettuce felt in her pocket for the silk handkerchief and smiled.

She had an excuse to come up to the front door of…

Lettuce gaped, jaw down, eyes wide.

The Aizawa mansion was huge. Like, larger than her school huge. Larger than her brother's elementary school and her junior high combined huge.

"Yeah, not doing this," She said, turning to walk away.

"Alien! Alien!" Mini-Mew chirped, flapping over to the gate, taking her cellphone with him.

"Mini-Mew…" Lettuce said with a sigh, trying to follow him. Before she could grab him, Mini-Mew rammed his body against the intercom button. "No, Mini-Mew, don't—"

But it was too late.

"What do you want?" A man's voice demanded through the intercom. Lettuce jumped with surprise and yelped, turning scarlet.

"G-Gomen-Nasai," She stuttered. "I-I pressed the button by accident."

"What is your business here?" The man demanded, ignoring her.

"N-nothing," Lettuce said, trembling. Mini-Mew went into her pocket and pulled out the handkerchief. Lettuce snatched it back. "Well, uh, ano, I d-do have something to return to Aizawa Mint-San."

There was a pause.

"Aizawa Mint-Sama?" He said, sounding confused.

"H-hai," Lettuce said, still shaking.

There was another pause. Suddenly, the gate opened.

"There will be someone to escort you up to the main house momentarily," The man on the other line said.

"Um, uh," Lettuce said, but the man had already severed the connection. Mini-Mew started to fly through the gate. "Mini-Mew!" Lettuce groaned, following the green puffball.

Mini-Mew shrank back to his miniature size as Lettuce grabbed him.

"Good, now let's…" Lettuce said, turning to leave…

But it was too late. The gate had already closed.

Trapping Lettuce inside the grounds of the Aizawa Mansion.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

"You are here for Miss Aizawa?"

Lettuce jumped and turned to see Mint's nanny standing there, smiling in a friendly manner at the girl. The old woman looked excited.

"Uh, hai," Lettuce muttered. The woman's smile grew.

"Follow me, miss," She said, leading Lettuce up the path.

Lettuce looked around at the dark grounds. They were very beautiful. She saw part of a maze in the backyard and a large flower garden.

"It's beautiful here," Lettuce said nervously.

"I think so," The woman said, smiling still. "I am very glad to see you, miss. Miss Aizawa doesn't get company often. I worry about her, always surrounded by so many people, but never her family. Up till this past year, she was taught at home by a tutor and we had hoped by having her attend school she would make friends, however if she has I do not know about them. I think she is very lonely."

"Lonely?" Lettuce repeated, confused. This girl was rich, pretty, talented… why didn't she have a lot of friends? Lettuce could understand why she didn't: Lettuce was nerdy, homely, quiet. But this girl was the opposite of her.

But were they at heart the same? At the heart lonely and desperate for one true friend?

The elderly woman led Lettuce up the stairs and opened the door. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. The house was twice, no, three times as magnificent inside as it was outside.

"Miss Aizawa! Your friend is here!" The old woman called.

"Who's here?"

Mint came down from down a hall to the top of the grand staircase. She wore a light-pink turtleneck under a red dress, black shoes and she had yellow ribbons tied to her twin buns. She frowned slightly at Lettuce.

"Thank you for showing her in, Oba," Mint said. "Can we speak in private?"

"Of course," The old woman said with a bow before shuffling out of the room.

Mint finished descending the stairs and came to stand in front of Lettuce, folding her arms over her chest.

"What?" She demanded.

"I, uh, I wanted to return this," Lettuce said, fumbling in her pocket for the handkerchief, holding it out to Mint with a nervous smile.

"I already told you…" Mint hesitated. "What's your name?"

"Lettuce," Lettuce said. "Midorikawa Lettuce."

"I already told you, Lettuce, I don't want it back. You can keep it," Mint said.

"But, really, I can't—" Lettuce started. Mint rolled her eyes.

"I don't care about one stupid handkerchief," She snapped. "You shouldn't have come here to be told that. How did you find me, anyways? Are you a stalker or something?"

"N-no," Lettuce said, shrinking under her brown-eyes glare. "I-I just really wanted to give this back, wanted to make sure you didn't really want it."

From her pocket, just noticeably, Mini-Mew squeaked out,

"Alien! Alien!"

Lettuce paled some as Mint raised an eyebrow. Lettuce put on a big, nervous smile.

"So, um, you have a really beautiful house, d-do you mind if I take a look around?" Lettuce asked as she bustled from place to place, holding out Mini-Mew, hoping that he said something else. To her horror, he remained quiet. She hunched over her phone, shaking it slightly. "Please help me, Mini-Mew! She's going to think I'm a weirdo!"

"You're over there talking to your cellphone, followed me home late at night and quite frankly are acting like a freak. Yes, I think you're a weirdo," Mint said, suddenly behind Lettuce, who jumped a foot in the air with a squeak, nearly dropping her phone. Mint looked unimpressed, her lips pressed tightly together and her eyes narrowed. Coldly, she said, "I think you should leave now. And don't come back. Now, I believe you know the way out?"

Lettuce trembled but headed for the door, resisting the urge to cry at having made a fool of herself in front of this high-class girl. She jumped slightly as the door was slammed shut behind her.

As Lettuce walked down the stairs, she heard a soft barking. She turned and smiled as Miki ran over and jumped at her. She bent down to scratch his head.

"Nice to see you, buddy," Lettuce said. "But I'm afraid this'll be the last time we meet. Be good to Mint. I think she really needs a friend."

After giving Miki a final pet, Lettuce headed for the gate again.

However, behind her, a pale jellyfish creature floated down. Miki turned at it and growled before yelping as the creature hit him.

Mint was almost back to her room when she heard the front door open. She turned back and smiled at seeing Miki standing there.

"There you are, you silly puppy," She crooned, heading down the stairs. "Did you go out again?"

She froze though as she saw something wasn't right with her puppy. He was growling, hackles raised. He never growled at her…

"Miki?" She whispered, running down the stairs, worried. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Mint's eyes grew wide as Miki suddenly grew into a monster, still growling and snarling at her.

"Let's go home, Mini-Mew," Lettuce said with a sigh as she neared the gate. The day had been such a waste… and she was nowhere near finding the other girls. Suddenly, Mini-Mew popped up, screeching,

"Chimera Animal! Chimera Animal!"

"You didn't pick up anything before!" Lettuce said, wondering if Mini-Mew was telling the truth this time.

"Incomplete! Incomplete!" Mini-Mew said, his little wings flapping harder.

Lettuce tried to figure out what he meant when she heard the scream from inside the house.

Lettuce instantly turned and ran back towards the house and burst through the door. Her eyes instantly widened.

Inside the grand hall, there was a large monster looming over Mint, who had been thrown against the stairs, her eyes wide.

Slowly, the monster turned to look at her, bearing teeth.

"M-Miki, my dear Miki, is—" Mint choked out, sounding near tears.

"That's Miki!" Lettuce said, horrified. The Chimera glaring down at her was the adorable fluffy puppy she had tenderly pet on the head less than two minutes ago?

"Miki! What's wrong?" Mint said, her eyes still watering as she inched her way up the staircase using her hands and feet to do so, her gaze not leaving the monster for a second, afraid to turn her back on it.

"Don't worry!" Lettuce called, reaching for her pendant. "I'm going to save you, and Miki!"

She brought the small stone to her lips and lowered it to over her chest as she yelled,

"MEW MEW LETTUCE, METAMORPHO-SIS!"

The green haired girl smiled as she felt Midorikawa Lettuce strip away, replaced with Mew Lettuce.

She stomped her feet as she clapped her hands before letting one hand rest on her hip while the other hand was in the air, calling out,

"For the future of Earth, I'll give my all!"

"Wait, what?" Mint said, blinking a few times, trying to comprehend what was happening.

Lettuce threw herself between the Chimera and Mint, turning briefly to glance at Mint, who had reached the top of the staircase. Lettuce gave her a small smile.

"Gomen-nasai for the surprise. I promise I will explain later," She said. Mint just sat there, stunned.

The Chimera struck. Lettuce quickly grabbed Mint and leapt with her down to the ground. Either it was the superhero powers kicking in, or the petite ballerina just didn't weigh much. Lettuce wasn't quite sure what it was. Mint sat on the ground, staring up at Lettuce in a mixture of shock and awe.

Lettuce crossed her arms over her chest as she turned back to the Monster, crossing her wrists over her mark, the gemstone on her bracelet glowing.

"LETTUSTANETS!" She called, bringing her weapons to her hands.

"STOP IT!" Mint screamed, causing Lettuce to turn to her. She had come out of her shock enough to realize that Lettuce was about to do and was worried about her dog. "DON'T HURT HIM!"

Before Lettuce could say anything, the Chimera struck her, sending her flying across the room, slamming into the wall, knocking her out.

Mint got onto her hands and knees, staring up at the Chimera.

"What's wrong, Miki? Please stop it!" She pleaded. The Chimera ignored her, heading straight to attack Lettuce, who's eyes were fluttering open.

Mint leapt to her feet, running across the room to Lettuce, who came to just in time for the girls to be thrown across the room, clutching onto each other's arms and screaming.

Lettuce sat up, breathing heavily, and turned to check on Mint. Her eyes widened.

Where the Chimera had struck her back, her dress had torn away.

Revealing two pale pink marks right underneath her shoulder-blades that were shaped like bird's wings.

"Mint-San…" Lettuce whispered. "That mark… could it be?"

"What?" Mint demanded, clutching her upper arms. "What are you talking about?"

Mini-Mew flew in front of the two girls and opened his mouth, which glowed pale blue for a moment. Out of his mouth came a pendant identical to the one Lettuce had around her neck.

It bounced against the floor, falling right in front of Mint, who stared at it with wide-eyes.

"You're one of the girls who is supposed to help me," Lettuce explained as Mint continued to stare at the pendant, shaking her head slightly.

"What are you talking about?" Mint demanded.

"Believe it or not, you can transform, just like I did," Lettuce said, giving the girl an encouraging smile.

Their eyes widened as the monster growled behind them and Lettuce jumped to her feet.

"Please transform, Mint-San! Please!" She begged.

"That's not possible!" The black hair girl said, still shaking her head, still clutching her arms, wondering if this was just a bad dream… "How am I supposed to do that anyway?"

"Listen!" Lettuce said. "Listen to your heart! Your heart already knows what to do! You just need to listen!"

As the monster raised its paw with a roar, preparing to slash down on the girls, they both turned away and Mint leapt for the pendant, screaming,

"NO! STOP IT!"

That was when it happened. When she listened to her heart, followed the instructions it gave. She brought the pendant to her lips without realizing it. She expertly bent backwards to bring the stone to rest between her mark, calling out as she did so,

"MEW MEW MINT! METAMORPHO-SIS!"

Within milliseconds, Mint stood there. Or, rather, _Mew Mint_ stood there. Her hair was now dark blue, as were her eyes. Dark blue wings emerged from her back and she had curling dark blue tail feathers emerging from her lower-back. She wore a short, strapless mint blue dress with matching ankle-high boots, gloves, bands on her upper arms and a choker with her pendant hanging from it. She had a blue garter wrapped around her left leg.

"Good job, Mint-San! You did it!" Lettuce said, smiling proudly. The girl looked down at herself, her eyes wide.

"No. Way." She whispered in shock.

The Chimera, that had been thrown to the side when Mint grabbed her pendant, was back with a vengeance. Lettuce's eyes widened.

"Mint-San! Jump!" She yelled.

Mint turned and she gasped. The two girls leapt away. Lettuce crossed her wrists over her mark.

"LETTUSTANETS!" She yelled, bringing her weapons back into her hands. She turned to Mint. "Mint-San, listen to the voice and call out the words!"

"What words?" Mint demanded. "And what voice?"

"The voice in your heart," Lettuce said, giving her a smile. "Like I said, your heart knows what to do. You just need to listen and let it lead."

"I can't do it!" Mint insisted.

"You can!" Lettuce insisted. "You transformed, didn't you? Now you can do anything, just keep listening to your heart. Trust your heart. Trust _yourself_."

Mint still looked confused.

The Chimera roared and came at them.

"Now, Mint-San!" Lettuce cried.

The two girls leapt into the air to avoid the Chimera. While in the air, Mint raised her hands, calling out,

"MINT ARROW!"

In her hand appeared a small blue bow. She held the bow in one hand and with the other drew back the arrow, spinning as she did so. She released the arrow, crying out,

"RIBBON MINT ECHO!"

The arrow hit the Chimera, weakening it. While it tried to recover, Lettuce brought up her hands.

"RIBBON LETTUCE RUSH!" She yelled.

The jets of water hit the Chimera, causing Miki and the infuser to separate. Mini-Mew swallowed the infuser and chirped,

"Collect!"

Mint instantly ran over to Miki, who looked un-traumatized by the experience of being a Chimera. After checking him for injuries, she hugged him tightly to her chest.

"Miki!" She said, burying her face in his fur, her eyes full of tears. "I'm so glad your back!"

Lettuce smiled, her own eyes filling with tears.

They were safe. The Chimera defeated.

And she had found a teammate.

The next afternoon, Mint arrived at Café Mew Mew. Shortly after stepping through the door, Mint was given a white box tied with a blue ribbon. A few minutes later, Mint came out wearing a dark blue version of Lettuce's Café uniform.

"It looks wonderful, Mint-Chan!" Keiichiro said, giving her a kind smile.

"You look so cute, Mint-San!" Lettuce said. Mint smiled proudly.

"Of course I do," She said.

"What animal is Mint-San infused with, Shirogane-San?" Lettuce asked.

"Ultramarine Lorikeet," Ryou answered.

Lettuce smiled, remembering how Mint's leaps during her ballet performance looked like a bird in flight, and how effortlessly they were executed.

"That is a perfect match for her," Lettuce said.

"As is the Finless Porpoise for you, Lettuce," Mint said.

Ryou nodded to the girls.

"Finding the other three girls, I leave to you," He said.

When Ryou and Keiichiro went back into the kitchen, Mint said,

"Thank you. For last night. Saving me and Miki, telling me how to transform."

"You're welcome," Lettuce said, smiling brightly, her eyes closed. "Anything to help a friend. And we're a team, so let's do our best together to fight and help each other."

Mint grinned and nodded.

Lettuce had a good feeling, warmth flooding her stomach.

This superhero thing was better with a friend fighting by your side.

* * *

**One Mew down! Three to go for Lettuce to find! Monday will reveal who's next!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

In the cloudy alternate dimension, the blue glowing orb was not pleased.

"They are definitely planning something," The childlike voice said. "Twice now they have defeated our Chimera Animals."

"That is true." Said the figure who knelt before the orb, head bowed.

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Go," The childlike voice said. "Go and collect data on their strengths."

"Understood," The other voice said before disappearing in a blink of an eye.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

On Mint's first day of work, Lettuce's hopes that the dark haired girl would be a better waitress with her elegant ballerina grace and class were dashed. Instead of actually working, Mint merely played messenger, telling Lettuce which tables needed to be cleaned, who needed their order taken, who needed their bill. All over a cup of tea that never seemed to end.

Ryou was still little to no help and Keiichiro was either completely oblivious to this or he was pretending to be.

After just three afternoons like this, Lettuce was completely worn out.

One morning shortly after Mint started 'working' at the Café, Lettuce heard her alarm go off and vaguely remembered smacking it off but other than that, she remembered nothing until her mother shook her awake.

"Lettuce? Lettuce, wake up, or you'll be late for school."

Lettuce's eyes shot open and she pushed past her mother, grabbing her uniform, glasses and hairbrush as she made a mad dash for the bathroom, dressed, teeth brushed and her hair done in less than five minutes. She ran out the door screaming,

"LATE!"

"Does she know she only overslept by ten minutes?" Her father asked as he watched the apartment door swing.

Lettuce's brother Uri had just closed the apartment door when he heard something smack into it, causing him to jump. He quickly reopened the door to see his sister's frazzled face there, having just smacked into the door. She quickly shook her head and started running through the apartment.

"FORGOT MY BAG!" She screamed, racing to her room and back, emerging with four black bags in her arms containing both her work and the Three Ayas' homework. She quickly kissed her father's cheek, hugged her mother and ruffled her brother's hair all before racing out the door calling, "JA NE! LOVE YOU!"

Once again, she left her family feeling very confused.

Lettuce kept running, refusing to be late. She always met the three Ayas on the street corner on the way to school, and she knew they would leave without her if she didn't get there soon.

Lettuce was almost to the corner when she suddenly screamed as something ran into her. The other person screamed as they both fell to the ground.

"GOMEN-NASAI!" Lettuce said, quickly gathering up the other person's belongings.

"No, no it's my fault, I'm so sorry," The other girl said, doing the same with Lettuce's things.

Lettuce held the other girl's bag out to her and her eyes widened.

It was the girl with the red pigtails and maroon eyes from the Red Data exhibit, the one who had been there on a date. Her hair was still in the same pigtails and she wore a gray uniform dress with knee-high socks and brown shoes, obviously on her way to school. Did she remember Lettuce? Or that day at the exhibit at all?

"Are you okay?" The girl asked, her brow furrowing as Lettuce continued to stare at her. Lettuce shook her head.

"Yes, I am fine, arigato," She said as they each climbed to their feet, giving each other their rightful bags.

"Thank you," Lettuce said again. She hadn't even realized that Mini-Mew had popped out of her bag quickly and spat something out before shrinking again and hiding on her cellphone.

Lettuce turned as she heard the blond-haired Aya call her name.

"Hurry up or we're going to leave without you!" She called, sounding annoyed, her hands on her hips.

"Coming!" Lettuce called. She turned back to the girl with pigtails. "Again, I'm sorry for troubling you!"

"It's cool," The girl said, smiling. "Bye!"

Lettuce smiled as she ran off, her arms too full to wave. The girl smiled and gave a wave, but then her brow furrowed at seeing something glint on the ground. She knelt down and picked it up.

Her eyes widened.

"Hey! You dropped something!" She called to Lettuce, but Lettuce couldn't hear her, as she was already across the street and there were many cars passing, a truck honking its horn.

The girl sighed and glanced back down at the small golden object in the palm of her hand. She tucked it into her pocket, hoping she'd see the girl again…

A few days later, Lettuce quickly wiped her brow off before going back to work. She looked sadly at Mint.

"Mint-San, how long is your tea time, exactly?" She asked nervously.

"From three o'clock on the dot to three forty-five on the dot," Mint said as she sipped her tea daintily.

Lettuce sighed, gazing at the clock. She still had fifteen minutes until Mint was anywhere near being willing to do anything to help.

As she was cleaning a table, Lettuce heard a conversation going on from a nearby table.

"So, what's with the dark cloud, Ichigo?"

"Is it about Aoyama-Kun?"

Lettuce turned to see the girl with the red-pigtails sitting at a table with a girl with short blond hair and a girl with short brown hair. The other girls looked really concerned for their friend, who looked very depressed.

"Did he dump you?" The blond pressed.

"No," The red head muttered, poking at the cake in front of her. She listlessly bit into a strawberry, her eyes dull.

"Did you see him with another girl?" The blond continued to ask.

"Moe, give her a break," The brunette said calmly. "Ichigo's obviously upset over something. She'll tell us when she's ready."

"Okay…" The blond said. She ate some of her pie in silence then said, "We'll beat him up if you want us to."

The red-head looked like she really wanted to change the subject. Her brunette friend was happy to oblige.

"So, did you hear? Apparently the school is haunted," The girl said. The red-head froze. The brunette smiled sadly at her. "Sorry, Ichigo, forgot that you're afraid of ghosts."

"It's okay," The red-head muttered, aimlessly swirling the straw in her glass. "What makes you say the school is haunted, Miwa?"

"So, apparently one of the upperclassmen left a textbook he needed to study for a test in his classroom and while he was there to get it, he heard what he said sounded like a cat meowing mixed with crying coming from the gym. When he called out to investigate, a bucket was thrown at him as well as a kendo faceguard. Then this morning, they found all the lights in the gym broken and all the equipment was scattered around. And the creepiest part was that there was a kendo uniform lying in the middle of the ring. A _perfectly folded_ uniform."

"Maybe the ghost wore it," The blonde said jokingly. "Maybe last night was a ghost kendo competition. Whose uniform was it, anyway?"

"Kendo club's not saying," The brunette said. "But apparently this has been a repeating pattern over the past couple of days. There's always a uniform left in the middle of the ring, and occasionally one of the shinai laying with it."

"Creepy," The blonde said. "Always the same uniform?"

"Dunno," The brunette said. "Maybe if it is, the ghost has a crush on one of the members of the kendo team."

The blonde sighed.

"So even dead girls are crushing on precious Aoyama-Kun," She said.

"No one said the ghost was a girl, Moe," The brunette said, sweat-dropping slightly.

Lettuce went over with the water pitcher, planning on refilling their glasses. However, there was already some water on the floor from where she had mopped only a few minutes before after dropping a whole tray of desserts. With a cry, Lettuce slipped, the water pitcher flying out of her hands, landing on the table and spilling into the brunette's lap.

"Eeek!" The brunette exclaimed, leaping to her feet.

"Gomen-nasai!" Lettuce said instantly as she sat up, a bit dizzy from the sudden fall.

"It's cool," The brunette said, shivering from the ice water on her legs. She gave a broken laugh as she continued to shiver, her teeth chattering slightly. "Bad pun, eh?"

"Forgive my employee," Keiichiro said, suddenly appearing with his sweet smile. "Please, follow me and we'll dry off your clothes."

"I have some extra clothes in my bag if you want to wear those for now, Miwa," The blonde said, grabbing her school bag. Together, the two girls and Keiichiro went to the back.

The red-head looked at Lettuce in confusion.

"I'm so sorry," Lettuce said. The girl smiled. It wasn't as big and cheerful as her other smiles had been when Lettuce had met her previously.

"It's alright," She said. "They know you didn't mean any harm. Accidents happen, you slipped, nothing you could do about that."

"Still, I'm sorry, I interrupted your time with your friends," Lettuce said. "You know, since we keep running into each other, I should introduce myself. I'm Midorikawa Lettuce."

"I'm Momomiya Ichigo," The girl said. "And you're right, we do keep running into each other…"

Then her smile dropped.

"Yeah," She said softly. "We keep running into each other…"

Lettuce frowned some.

"Ichigo-San, is something the matter?" She asked.

"No, no, it's nothing," Ichigo said, bringing her hands together in her lap and staring at them. "Well, it's just, there's this guy that I really, really like… and we went out on a date, and then we hung out a few days ago, same day I ran into you… But then something happened, something really awkward. I'm kind of afraid to speak to him, or even see him again. But I still really like him and want to be his girlfriend." She sighed and shook her head, smiling sadly up at Lettuce. "But I don't think that's going to happen."

"Why not?" Lettuce asked, confused. "You're cute, you're sweet, you obviously care for him, so why wouldn't he want you to be his girlfriend?"

"I…" Ichigo started to say, but she cut herself off, now gripping the hem of her skirt. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I just can't…"

She stood up and grabbed her bag, rummaging through it and leaving a Yen bill on the table.

"Can you tell my friends that I'm not feeling well and decided to go home?" Ichigo asked. Lettuce nodded. Ichigo smiled sadly and nodded before heading out the door.

As Lettuce watched her go, Mint came up beside her.

"That ghost those other girls were describing, you think a Chimera could be doing that?" She asked.

"I'm not sure," Lettuce said. She glanced at Mint. "But you want to investigate, right?"

"Of course," Mint said. "That uniform, Daikan Junior High?"

"I believe so," Lettuce said. "Lots of other girls come in wearing that uniform and I've heard them mention Daikan."

"That's not too far from here, just a few blocks," Mint said. "We can go after the Café closes."

The two girls nodded and got back to work. Or, at least, Lettuce got back to work.

Mint went straight back to her tea.

After closing up the Café, Mint and Lettuce headed towards Daikan Junior High.

Ryou and Keiichiro watched the girls leave from the back door of the Café.

"Should we have told them?" Keiichiro asked. "About the Chimera the other day?"

"It was gone before they could even have a chance to get there," Ryou said, his arms folded over his chest. He shook his head as he watched Lettuce trip over a crack in the sidewalk, sending her to the pavement, Mint grudgingly helping her to her feet. "I'm quite honestly afraid that she'd trip over a blade of grass trying to get to a battle."

"Lettuce-Chan is not that clumsy," Keiichiro said, frowning some at his friend. "You could be a bit nicer to her, you know. I know this wasn't our ideal goal, but it's what we have. Just because our plans did not work like we planned does not mean that you have to treat her so coldly. Is that what your father would do if it turned out like this under his hand?"

With that, Keiichiro left Ryou standing there, feeling guilty and angry, knowing Keiichiro had purposefully said those things to make him feel guilty.

_What would you have done, Dad?_ Ryou wondered. _What would you do if five mutated girls were the result of the Mew Project, if their lives were at stake every day… all because of pressing that one button…_

He sighed as he watched the sunset, these questions heavy on his mind.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

It was dark by the time Lettuce and Mint arrived at Daikan Junior High. The school was deserted and all the lights were off. Using a bobby pin from one of Mint's buns, the girls picked open the lock, Lettuce panicking all the while, just sure that they were going to get caught by the police or someone who worked at the school.

"I can pay the bail bond, easy-peasy," Mint said, rolling her eyes some as Lettuce voiced her concerns, trembling and pale.

"But they'd call my teacher and my parents and we'd get into so much—" Lettuce said, still panicking. Just then, the locked clicked and Mint opened the door, letting it swing open with a slight creak.

"Coming?" She asked, sticking the pin back in her hair.

Lettuce gulped but followed Mint inside.

Hiding in a nearby tree, dark eyes narrowed as the owner of said eyes watched the two girls enter the deserted school.

Lettuce looked around the deserted halls and gulped again. She wasn't afraid of ghosts… but that this school could be potentially haunted did scare her some. She was just waiting for something to jump out at her and go,

"BOO!" Mint yelled, suddenly turning and jumping at Lettuce, who squeaked and fell backwards onto the floor.

Lettuce gazed up at the four Mints' that stood above her with a slight groan, her head spinning.

"Really, Lettuce, do you have no backbone?" Mint asked with a sigh. "Or only when it comes to big ugly monsters?"

Lettuce could only mutter incomprehensively. Mint rolled her eyes and hauled Lettuce to her feet.

"Come on, I think the gym is this way." Mint said.

Suddenly, the light-bulbs above them burst and the two girls instantly covered their heads with screams as the windows broke as well, glass raining down.

"Ghost?" Lettuce asked, her voice breaking some.

They heard something that sounded like an enraged howl.

"Chimera!" Mint said with a frown, grabbing her pendant and bringing it to her lips.

"MEW MEW MINT, METAMORPHO-SIS!"

After transforming, Mint ran off, leaving Lettuce crouched down amongst the broken glass, confused and a little scared.

Suddenly, Mini-Mew popped up beside her.

"Lettuce! Lettuce! Alien! Alien!" He screeched

Lettuce looked up and saw that outside the window, shrouded in the moonlight was a tall figure. Her eyes wide, she reached for her pendant.

"MEW MEW LETTUCE, METAMORPHO-SIS!" She yelled, bringing the pendant to her lips.

But when she turned back to the alien, he/she/it was gone.

"Huh?" She said, her brow furrowed as she ran to the broken window, sticking her head out carefully and looking around. "There's no one here…"

"MEW LETTUCE!"

Lettuce pulled her head back inside at hearing Mint's voice.

"I'M COMING, MEW MINT-SAN!" She yelled back, running down the hall towards where she heard Mint's voice coming from.

When she got in the room, she saw a big mass of sports gear—balls of all sorts, tennis rackets, kendo gear, lacrosse sticks, baseball bats, uniforms, towels, water bottles—in a large, sweeping tornado in the center of the room.

"Is that the Chimera?" Lettuce asked.

Mint nodded and Lettuce nodded as well as she put one hand on her hip and one in the air.

"For the fate of the Earth, I will give my all!" She cried out, grinning. "Chimera, you will pay for haunting this school and the innocent students that learn in its halls!"

"You're going to do this every time, aren't you?" Mint asked, a hand on her chin and an eyebrow cocked. She sighed and lifted her hands, calling out,

"MINT ARROW!"

As the bow landed in her hand, she began twirling, drawing back the string, crying out,

"RIBBON MINT ECHO!"

The arrow hit the tornado and everything crashed to the ground.

"And another one bites the dust," Mint said proudly.

"That was too easy for a Chimera," Lettuce muttered, her brow furrowed.

Suddenly, she winced as a small but heavy ball collided with the back of her head.

"Ow!" Lettuce cried out, clutching the back of her head. She looked at her feet to see a baseball lying there.

"What the-?" Mint said, her brow furrowed.

"GET OUT!"

The two girls turned to see another girl standing there. She had chin-length bubblegum pink hair and matching eyes. She wore a hot pink strapless dress with a tight bodice and a knee-length frilly skirt, dark pink knee-high boots and dark pink cuff bracelets over baby-pink skin-tight arm guards that went up to mid-forearm. She wore bright pink arm bands on her upper arms and a similar band around her throat with a small golden stone at the base and another band around her left leg. On top of her head were two fuzzy black cat ears and behind her was a puffed-out black cat tail with a dark pink ribbon and a bell tied to it.

"Hey," Mint said. "Take a look at her costume."

"You think she's—" Lettuce started to say.

"I SAID LEAVE!" The girl yelled, raising her hand. A bell shaped like a strawberry appeared her hand. "RIBBON STRAWBERRY CHECK!"

The sparkly blast hit Mint full-force, sending her flying across the room.

"Mew Mint-San!" Lettuce cried out before turning back to the girl.

Still glaring at Lettuce, the girl raised her hand beside her face in a move to brush her hair out of the way. Then Lettuce's eyes widened. On the palm of the girl's hand was a pale-pink marking shaped like a cat's paw and she knew instinctively that there would be a matching mark on the other palm.

The girl raised her Bell again and Lettuce's eyes widened with sudden realization. The word was spoken in English, but she recognized it's Japanese meaning from English class.

_Strawberry… Ichigo…_

Ichigo Momomiya was standing before her as Mew Ichigo.

"Ichigo-San, stop this, now!" Lettuce begged.

Ichigo kept glaring and raised her bell again.

"RIBBON STRAWBERRY CHECK!" She yelled again.

Lettuce ducked out of the way with a shriek.

"Don't think I'll miss twice," Ichigo hissed like a cat, her ears flat against her skull.

"Ichigo-San, please, stop!" Lettuce cried out. "You don't want to do this!"

Ichigo hesitated for a mere second and Lettuce saw the tears in her eyes.

"Please leave me alone!" She begged tearfully, voice cracking some. "Please."

"Why do you want to be alone?" Lettuce asked kindly, hesitantly taking a step towards the girl, whose tears were now freely falling down her face.

"BECAUSE I'M A FREAK!" Ichigo yelled, her fists at her sides before she raised one to wipe away her tears, hiccupping slightly. "AND BECAUSE I'M A FREAK, AOYAMA-KUN WILL NEVER ASK ME TO BE HIS GIRLFRIEND!"

"Aoyama-Kun…" Lettuce repeated. That was the name of the boy she had been with at the Red Data Exhibit, right? They had been on a date… "Ichigo-San, can you tell me what happened?"

Ichigo, still hiccupping and rubbing her eyes, said,

"The day I ran into you, I saw you had dropped something and picked it up. I tried to get your attention, but you were already gone. I kept it thinking I could get it back to you somehow.

"That afternoon, I went with Aoyama-Kun to the park. He loves animals and the environment and so I went with him to help clean up the river. We left and as we were walking through the woods, a big monster came out of nowhere and knocked Aoyama-Kun out. Then it came after me. I was so scared, but for some reason I grabbed the stone. Next thing I know, I'm looking like this! I used this Strawberry Bell thing on the monster, but I was too scared of what had happened to stay until Aoyama-Kun woke up. And I knew that I couldn't be near him anymore, because he would never love me if he knew I turned into… _this_.

"So I came to the school and hid in the gym until I went back to normal, or to see if I went back to normal. I found Aoyama-Kun's kendo uniform and hugged it to me, trying to calm down. Since that night, I've been coming back here and taking his uniform and hugging it, because it is as close to Aoyama-Kun as I can get from now on."

Lettuce came a bit closer.

"Why do you think he won't love you?" She asked. "Just because of the ears and tail?"

Ichigo nodded with a sniffle.

"They pop out when I'm nervous or scared or excited. And I can't stop eating fish and chasing butterflies and doing inhuman things like landing on my feet after falling from high places," She said, her hysterics lessening some, but she was still rubbing her eyes. "And he's seen some of that and has almost seen my ears. I don't want him to see them. Aoyama-Kun won't love me if he knows I'm not fully human, that I'm some half-cat freak!"

"Well, then there's only one thing to do," Lettuce said grimly as Mint climbed to her feet. Mint's eyes widened as she saw Lettuce bring out her Lettustanets.

"Lettuce, what are you-!" Mint asked, her eyes wide, but it was too late as Lettuce raised her weapons over her head, focusing her green eyes on Ichigo.

"RIBBON… LETTUCE… BANISH!" Lettuce yelled.

Ichigo cringed, her eyes squeezed shut, tail pointing straight, her fists clenched and her arms protectively raised. But after a moment, she realized that she was unharmed. She looked very confused with cat-like curiosity. Lettuce came over and put her hand on her shoulder.

"I made all your freakiness go away," She said with a smile. "Now Aoyama-Kun will only see you, a cute, sweet, brave superhero. If he loves you, he will love your kitty parts. If he doesn't, then it's his loss, you could do better. You will find someone who will love you for you, whether you're fully human or part cat. But first, before Aoyama-Kun or anyone else can do that, you need to be comfortable and confident with who you are."

Ichigo's eyes, still watery, smiled at Lettuce.

"Thank you, Mew Lettuce," She said, hugging the girl.

"You're welcome," Lettuce said, embracing the girl, patting her back.

"Alright, this is sweet and all, but can I point out that we've got a mess to clean up?" Mint said, hand on her hip.

"Yeah, I guess we are going to have to clean this up," Ichigo said, looking around the room covered with sporting equipment.

Lettuce smiled and took both girls' hands.

"Then let's do it together," She said. "As a team."

Mint and Ichigo smiled and nodded. Within the hour, the three Mews had cleaned up the gym with a lot of laughter and chatting.

"How did you make the tornado anyways, Ichigo-San?" Lettuce asked as they rolled a bin of basketballs back into the closet. Ichigo frowned and her brow furrowed.

"I didn't," She said. "I thought you two made it."

"Not us," Mint said, shaking her head. "Do you think there really was a Chimera, Lettuce?"

"O-or a g-ghost?" Ichigo asked, now trembling again with wide eyes.

Lettuce frowned.

"I'm not sure it was either," She said. "I know we would have seen a Chimera, or seen another tornado by now. But I also don't think it could be a ghost."

Whatever the reason, the tornado of sports equipment in the Daikan Junior High gymnasium remained a mystery.

The next afternoon, Ichigo wore her new dark pink Café uniform, looking incredibly adorable.

"What's my animal, nya?" Ichigo asked excitedly, bouncing on her toes.

"Iriomote Wildcat," Keiichiro responded with a smile. Ichigo's eyes went wide with stars in them.

"THAT IS SO CUTE NYA!" She exclaimed, holding her face in her hands with a large grin, her ears and tail popping out.

"She has a lot of enthusiasm," Ryou commented dryly. "I'll be going now before I catch it."

After Ryou left, they heard a knock on the Café door.

"Ichigo, will you get that, please?" Mint said. Ichigo nodded and bounced over to the door. Upon opening it, her eyes went wide and she blushed slightly at seeing who stood there.

It was the tanned, dark haired boy, smiling down at her.

"A-Aoyama-Kun…" Ichigo whispered, suddenly very shy.

"Hi, Momomiya-San," The boy said, smiling sweetly at her. "You look really cute in that outfit."

Ichigo beamed, her shyness instantly gone.

"Thank you!" She said.

While the two chatted, Lettuce noticed that Mint looked very proud of herself.

"You told him to come here?" She asked.

Mint nodded, her arms folded over her chest.

"Thought she needed it," She said. She suddenly narrowed her eyes at Lettuce before turning back to observe Ichigo and Aoyama-Kun. "Don't expect nice things like this from me too often. This was a one-time deal. She's on her own in her relationship with him after this."

Lettuce smiled as they watched Aoyama pull out a bell on a ribbon, his tanned cheeks turning red slightly as he gave it to Ichigo, probably breaking some world records of largest and brightest smile as he tied the necklace around her neck.

Still red, Aoyama-Kun muttered that he didn't want to lose Ichigo, and that as long as she had the bell, he could always find her, like a cat.

Ichigo jingled the bell around her neck and giggled before throwing her arms around Aoyama-Kun, thanking him for her present.

"I'll try hard not to," Lettuce said to Mint, whom she noticed was watching the two with a grin, sighing slightly at the cuteness of the couple.

Lettuce gave a sigh of her own, though not for the same reasons as Mint.

Three down.

Two to go.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

As Lettuce walked home from the Café, she chatted with Mini-Mew.

"I'm so glad that Ichigo-San's part of the team now," Lettuce said with a smile. "She's hard-working and cheerful, albeit a little obsessed about her boyfriend…"

Suddenly, Mini-Mew grew larger, his wings flapping.

"Alien! Alien!" He screeched.

Lettuce sighed and grabbed the puffball.

"You kept saying that about Mint-San and Ichigo-San," She said. "Are you broken?"

"Alien! Alien!" Mini-Mew continued to screech.

"Your miniscule robot is not mistaken."

Lettuce froze, looking around.

"Who said that?" She said, her eyes wide. "Who's there?"

"I must admit that I am deeply disappointed," The deep, rumbling voice said, his voice a monotone. She still could not even begin to figure out where it was coming from. The voice continued,

"I thought that if any pathetic human would try to oppose our plans, it would be one that is more intimidating than a few adolescent girls in frilly dresses. But even so.

"I have taken an interest in you. Perhaps when this planet is once again under the control of the rightful owners, I will keep you around for entertainment and experimenting purposes."

Lettuce turned her face up towards the clock tower, where a tall figure stood shrouded in the shadows.

Suddenly, the figure leapt, flying down towards her. Lettuce opened her mouth to let out a cry of shock, her eyes going wide.

She felt lips be forcefully pressed against hers, a tongue enter her mouth, a strong arm pinning her arms to her sides and long fingers with long, sharp pointed claws holding her chin.

This stranger was _kissing_ her.

She blinked in shock, this stranger's mouth still against hers. Then he withdrew, floating in the air some.

He was indeed very tall, with short, spiky dark gray-lavender hair with a chunk that went to his chin hanging beside his face, tied with a green strip of thin cloth. He looked almost human, except that his skin was as white as snow and he had long pointed ears sticking out of the side of his head. His cold, hard indigo irises framed cat-like slit pupils. He wore baggy dark purple pants and a sleeveless shirt of a similar color that had a see-through portion around his stomach with material of a color a shade lighter and a pair of brown boots to complete his outfit. He also had pale purple arm guards over his forearms and two long black ribbons trailing behind him. Just by looking at his large upper arms and broad shoulders, Lettuce could tell that he was very muscled, but also saw that he was very skinny and could probably use a few proper meals. His face was blank and emotionless, but the corner of his mouth curled upward ever so slightly in a cruel smirk.

"W-who, what, who, you?" Lettuce choked out, shaking like a leaf.

"My name is Pie," He said, the evil smirk growing by less than a millimeter. "And that kiss was not as unpleasant as I originally thought it would be."

Lettuce brought both of her hands to cover her mouth, her face red and her eyes watering with tears.

Her heart was pounding and breaking.

Her first kiss, her first _real, honest-to-goodness_ kiss, was being stolen by a stranger.

Not just a stranger.

An _alien_.

The _enemy_.

"A warning," Pie said as he floated up, his arms folded over his chest. "My next greeting to you will not be as warm. Actually, I believe it shall be rather painful. For you, at least."

The air rippled around him.

And just like that, he was gone.

And he had taken Lettuce's first kiss with him.

Lettuce stood trembling, tears rolling down her cheeks, her hands still pressed to her mouth, stunned and frightened.

"Lettuce! Lettuce!" Mini-Mew cried.

But Lettuce couldn't move.

So instead she just stood there and cried.

* * *

**Pie has made his presence known. Should be interesting from here on out. :D  
**

**Note: Ichigo/Masaya is going to be a primary pairing for this story, as I am trying to stay as true to the original stuff as I can; I/M is not the focus of the story (whole point of rewriting TMM with Lettuce as leader) but is still fundamentally important to the plot. When Kish does make his appearance, he'll still try to pursue Ichigo, but I make no promises that this will have Kishigo scenes or ending. Regardless of who I ship Ichigo with in this story, she still is technically a minor charachter charachter and there wouldn't be any big romance/shipping scenes with her, Masaya or Kish. This is all about Lettuce.**

**That being said, my only humble request is that 1) Kishigo fans don't kill/flame me and 2) that the I/M pairing does not deter anyone from enjoying the story. **


	8. Chapter 8

**I keep looking at my calender... and don't think I'm going to get all the Mews introduced before my classes start with what I'm currently doing. So I'm either going to be really brave or really stupid and do a post every weekday (12th to 16th and 19-23) and then I'll do one final, definite post on the 26th then this will be updated sporadically. I hope.**

Chapter Eight:

Lettuce stumbled out of her room, her eyes still red from crying. She had finally run to her home after her encounter with the strange alien and had spent most of the night in her room crying, refusing to speak to anyone. After several attempts, her mother quietly said to let her be.

Lettuce rubbed her eyes blearily and sat at the table, pouring herself a bowl of cereal on autopilot.

"Onee-Chan!"

Lettuce looked up from her bowl to see her little brother smiling brightly at her. She adored the fourth grader and loved him dearly, but right now she was too miserable to smile back at him.

"Ohayo, Uri-Chan," Lettuce mumbled though her cereal.

"Onee-Chan, I know how to cheer you up!" Uri said. He held out a piece of paper to her. Lettuce took it and read it. It was a ticket for a local amusement park.

"I won the tickets at a spelling contest at school," Uri explained proudly. "Since Mom and Dad have to work, can we go together?"

Lettuce sighed.

"I'm sorry, Uri-Chan, I have to work this morning," Lettuce said, resuming eating.

Uri looked disappointed and Lettuce felt guilty. The two rarely got to go and have fun just the two of them, and he looked so proud of his prize and he was being very generous to want to share it with his sister. Lettuce sighed again.

"I'll see if I can get off early," She said. "But you can go on without me if you want, or bring a friend."

"Okay!" Uri said cheerfully as he ran off.

Lettuce allowed herself a small smile. Then she sighed again.

How was she going to face the other girls?

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Meanwhile, in an alternate dimension, Pie knelt with his head bowed in front of the glowing blue orb.

"Pie?" The orb said.

"Yes, Deep Blue-Sama?" Pie replied in his rumbling monotone.

"Have you gathered the data for the plan?"

"It is more, a work in process," Pie admitted.

There was a pause.

"Explain."

"These humans, though lower life forms, are not as daft as they appear," Pie said. "I truly did underestimate them. Thus far, they have found ways to destroy my Chimeras. As I learn more about their strengths and weaknesses, I can create the perfect Chimera to destroy them once and for all. And then we can have our planet back."

There was another pause.

"For fifty-six million years, our true planet has been crowded with these lower life forms," The orb said. "I do not want it to be so any longer."

"Then I will continue my work," Pie said. "In fact, I believe that in spite of this setback, we will still have Earth within our original time goal."

"Pie."

Pie lifted his head slightly.

"This planet and all the life forms on it must be brought to submission. Immediately."

"I will make it happen," Pie said as he rose to his feet.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

"Eh? What's wrong with her?" Ichigo asked, her brow furrowed as she and Mint studied Lettuce, crouched down on the floor picking up shards of a broken plate.

"She's usually this clumsy, but not this out of it," Mint said, frowning.

"Oh? Maybe she's sick?" Ichigo said worriedly.

Lettuce didn't look like she heard anything. Mint sighed and marched over to her friend.

"Lettuce! Get it together, girl!" Mint said as she brought over the broom. Lettuce didn't make any inclination that she had heard Mint. The bird Mew sighed and bent down, gently pinching Lettuce's cheek, getting her attention.

"What is it, Mint-San? What's wrong?" Lettuce asked absentmindedly, looking confused, her eyes slightly glazed.

"What do you mean 'what is it'?" Mint said, rolling her eyes. She pointed across the room. "Look!"

On a nearby table, Ichigo had gathered all the broken plates, which made a rather high pile.

"Do you plan to break all the dishes?" Mint demanded.

Lettuce tilted her head slightly at Ichigo, who stood beside the pile.

"You shouldn't do that Ichigo-San," She said. "That's not a good idea. Shirogane-San and Akasaka-San will get very mad if you do that…"

Ichigo slapped her palm to her forehead with a sigh.

"I didn't do it, Lettuce! This was all you, nya!" Ichigo said, waving the dustpan around wildly.

"They're all broken," Lettuce muttered. "Gone… They were here, now they're not… Just like…"

Just then, she burst into hysterical tears, yelling incomprehensible things about elf-ears and purple hair.

"What's wrong with her?" Mint asked.

"She's falling apart," Ichigo muttered with a shrug. Taking a deep breath, she laid a hand on Lettuce's shoulder. "Lettuce-Chan, what's the matter?"

"HE'S RUINING MY LIFE!" Lettuce sobbed. "WHY CAN'T I STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM? IT'S NOT FAIR! I DON'T EVEN WANT TO THINK ABOUT HIM!"

"Uh, it's a guy?" Mint asked, blinking in surprise. She didn't take Lettuce to be the one who got like this over guys. Ichigo, a definite yes, but Lettuce, never.

"Have you confessed to him, nya?" Ichigo asked, her eyes big and excited.

"NO! HE'S A COMPLETE STRANGER AND HE'S BIG, MEAN AND SCARY AND HE STOLE—!" Lettuce cut herself off, clamping her hands over her mouth, her eyes bulging, leaving Ichigo and Mint even more confused than before.

"Never mind, never mind, let's get back to work!" Lettuce said, running out of the room as fast as lightning. Or she _tried_ to run out of the room, as she crashed into the wall, causing Mint and Ichigo to wince and Keiichiro to poke his head out in confusion.

"Moving the wall is not a nice thing to do!" Lettuce yelled, then without waiting for anyone to respond, she took off running again.

"Well," Ichigo said as she and Mint stood, watching. "That was weird."

"I'm getting this vibe that that was not the weirdest thing we will ever see," Mint said with a sigh, her hand on her hip.

Ichigo couldn't disagree.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Lettuce gazed sadly at the ticket in her hand. She really hated disappointing Uri and she really wanted to join him at the amusement park.

But she could not get that alien out of her head.

He was so big, so scary, the way he looked at her like a starving wolf, like he was just waiting to eat her up…

She squeezed her eyes shut.

She was scared to see him again. Didn't want to see him again. She didn't know if she could fight him, didn't trust herself to stay strong enough to put her fear of him aside.

Ryou came over, Mini-Mew in hand. He forcefully put the robot on the table, causing Lettuce to glance up.

"Stop daydreaming," Ryou said, a bit harshly. "Work's done for the day. Go on patrol, look for aliens."

Come to think of it, she was a bit afraid of Ryou, too.

Lettuce felt her eyes tear up and she quickly grabbed Mini-Mew, holding him tightly to her chest as she ran to the locker room.

Within minutes, she was crossing the street, still feeling depressed. She didn't want to look for aliens. Right now she wanted to be anything but a Mew. She wanted her old life back. The one that didn't have scary aliens that forcefully French-kissed her.

She was almost across the street when suddenly Mini-Mew pulled her cellphone out of her pocket.

"Lettuce! Lettuce! This way! This way!" Mini-Mew chirped.

"Huh?" Lettuce said, her brow furrowing. "What's wrong? Is it a Chimera?"

She quickly followed Mini-Mew back the way they came and down a street. Mini-Mew led her to the bus station. She followed him onto a bus and listened when he said to press the button to get the driver to let them off.

That was how Lettuce ended up standing at the bus stop across the street from the amusement park. Before she could figure out why Mini-Mew had led them there, the little robot led her across the street.

"Mini-Mew, it's too late, I can't—"

"Onee-Chan!"

Lettuce looked over her shoulder to see her brothers wide blue-eyes, magnified by his glasses, and his bright smile as he ran over to his sister.

"You were able to come!" Uri said excitedly as he hugged her.

"Uh, yeah," Lettuce said, gently patting her brother on the head.

Uri grabbed her hand.

"Come on, Onee-Chan!" He said, pulling her through the gates.

Within moments, they were amongst the crowd. There were food stalls, games, rides and even a petting zoo.

"Oooh! They have a lion cub!" Uri said excitedly as they saw the sign.

"There's a really long line," Lettuce said, noticing the crowd. "Do you want to do some other things and then we'll go to the petting zoo last to see the lion cub?"

Uri nodded.

"Then can we go on the Ferris Wheel first?" Uri asked. Lettuce smiled and nodded.

The two rode rides for about an hour, laughing and having fun. The two grabbed some cotton candy and ate it while watching performers juggle.

"Alright, it's your turn to choose!" Uri said to Lettuce as they left the tent. "What do you want to do?"

Lettuce closed her eyes and held out her hand, spinning and suddenly stopping, not knowing what she was pointing at.

"That!" She said, then she opened her eyes and blinked, her happy face quickly turning into one of horror.

She had chosen the Haunted House.

"Cool!" Uri said, not noticing Lettuce's pale face. Though her last encounter with a 'ghost' had only been Ichigo, she still was a little hesitant to go near anything and everything scary. Uri grabbed Lettuce's hand and dragged her over.

They entered the house, Uri enthralled but Lettuce trembling. She knew it was only projectors and mirrors, but she was still scared of the ghosts that popped out.

Lettuce clutched tightly to Uri's hand, mentally kicking herself and feeling a little embarrassed to be a teenager clutching for dear life onto her little brother's hand out of fear.

_Who's supposed to be the older one here? _Lettuce thought bitterly towards herself.

Uri, however, didn't seem to mind. He enjoyed being able to protect this sister, even if it was just from fake ghosts.

Finally, they entered daylight again. But that wasn't all they entered.

They had stepped into chaos.

The park employees were trying to keep everyone calm and evacuate them, but people were still running around, screaming. The animals were throwing themselves against their pens in attempts to escape.

"What's happening, Onee-Chan?" Uri asked, pressing his body against Lettuce, his turn to be scared.

Lettuce felt a shudder rush through her, having an idea of what was going on, confirmed when Mini-Mew whispered in her ear,

"Alien!"

Turning around and glancing up, Lettuce saw him, the alien who had stolen her first kiss, standing on top of the haunted house, arms folded over his chest.

All he did was stare down at her, his face blank, eyes hard. He said nothing. He didn't even blink.

And yet it was all it took for her to start shaking like a leaf, her eyes wide.

"Onee-Chan!" Uri said, pulling on Lettuce's hand, his eyes wide. "Come on! Let's get out of here!"

Lettuce let Uri lead them through the crowds, determined to protect his sister.

Lettuce squeezed her eyes shut, holding back the tears. She was going to have to let go of his hand, not know if he had reached safety or not.

Because even though she didn't want to, she had to fight.

She pretended to trip, her hand slipping out of Uri's. She saw his wide blue eyes turn back to her with fear.

"LETTUCE!" He cried. But he couldn't turn back, was too small to go against the crowd.

Soon, he disappeared from sight.

Lettuce stood behind a tree, clutching onto it.

"I'm sorry, Otouto," She whispered. "I promise, I'll come find you when this is over. Just stay somewhere safe."

She felt warm breath on the back of her neck, that deep rumbling voice whisper in her ear,

"So we meet again, Sashimi."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

Lettuce felt warm breath on the back of her neck, that deep rumbling voice whisper in her ear,

"So we meet again, Sashimi."

Lettuce jumped, turning in midair, her eyes wide as she saw Pie floating there, his face blank, but his eyes full of glee at seeing her tremble at the sight of him.

"Y-You!" She said, her back pressed against the tree.

"Me," He said, mimicking Lettuce's voice. Lettuce could only tremble as he leaned down, getting in her face. He tilted his head and she actually whimpered. A surge of pride went through him as he watched her shake and wince as he got closer to her. The kiss he had given her the day before was for this reason only: to intimidate her.

After having observed this human girl for some time, he had devised several tactics to scare her. It wouldn't take much, he had discovered, and the forceful kiss appeared to have done the trick. And Pie thought it was somewhat symbolic: like that kiss, he would take anything and everything he wanted from her. And her planet was what he desired the most. And after that encounter, he knew for sure that he was going to get what he wanted. And that she wouldn't stand in his way.

After all, she was meek, mild, timid. Pathetic. _She_ was the only thing standing between his people and Earth? If the humans were going to fight back, he had hoped for a challenge. An army, with all of Earth's greatest war-craft technology. And yet this shy, bookish little girl with her hair in braids and large glasses, was all that stood in his way?

The human race truly was a disappointment.

"What are you thinking, Sashimi?" He said, reaching out with his long fingers to stroke her cheek. She squeaked and tried to squirm away, but her attempts were fruitless "You liked that kiss I gave you, did you not?" He grabbed her chin. "Perhaps you want more?"

"NO!" Lettuce screamed, jerking her head out of his hand.

She swung her leg forward, hoping to hit the alien in either the fork of the legs or the stomach or anywhere at all for that matter, but he just floated out of her reach. Though he didn't show it, he was amused by her attempt. So she did have an ounce of self-preservation in her. All prey animals do when being stared down by a predator. However, that wouldn't be enough.

Lettuce came to a sudden thought as she ran out of the wood-line, away from the strange boy. Though he looked male, was he actually a 'he' by standards of Earth? Could this alien actually be a 'she' on the planet it came from?

"Who are you exactly?" She asked, pausing slightly to see the alien floating in the air above the trees, his indigo gaze boring into her.

"Since your miniscule, inferior human mind will not help you, I will prompt your memory by repeating that my name is Pie." He said in a monotone, his eyes narrowed at her. Pie raised his hand and his palm glowed till a infuser rested there.

Lettuce's eyes widened.

"That's where they come from?" She whispered to herself.

"Are you prepared, Sashimi?" Pie asked, his voice still in a monotone. "I am going to test your powers now. I advise for your sake that you comply. The results will be very unpleasant if you do not do so."

With that, he raised his hand above his head.

"PARASITE ALIEN, ATTACK!" He ordered. The infuser went flying through the air above Lettuce's head, going in the direction of the petting zoo. She could only watch in horror as a lion-cub-turned-Chimera became taller than the Ferris Wheel beside it sprang up.

Lettuce ducked as the Chimera came at her. She fumbled for her pendant, but the Chimera hit her, knocking her pendant out of her grasp and sending her tumbling across the ground, landing on her stomach. Before she could get up, the Chimera pinned her to the ground, though she struggled fruitlessly.

"Ah," Pie said as he crouched down beside her, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin on his fist. "I see. You can only fight when you have transformed. You cannot do anything while still a normal, pitiful human." He rose to his feet again. "Disappointing but not unexpected."

"Let me go! Please!" Lettuce begged, pushing herself up as much as the Chimera would allow.

"You are nothing but an pest," Pie said with a snarl, getting to his feet, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "And the best way to deal with a pest is to exterminate them."

Lettuce trembled, her lower lip shaking and her eyes watering.

_He's serious!_ She thought, tears welling up in her eyes. _He's dead serious! He's going to let me die here!_

"Please!" She begged, her voice cracking as some tears escaped. "Please let me go!"

"It would be a problem for both myself and my master to let you live," Pie continued, unimpressed by her tears. "Though I will admit that you have been the most enjoyable thing on this magnificent planet full of wretched and undeserving beings. Now I shall enjoy listening to your dying screams." His eyes glowed red briefly and a large evil grin planted itself on his lips. "Sayonara, Sashimi. Take pride in knowing that you are the first of your race to die in this conquest."

"Stop right there! RIBBON MINT ECHO!"

Lettuce squeaked and put her hands over her head as Pie and the Chimera leapt away from the incoming attack.

"Parts Two and Three of pest invasion have been so kind to arrive," Pie said dryly, looking down with a scowl at Mew Mint and Mew Ichigo, who ran up to Lettuce.

"Mew Mint-San! Mew Ichigo-San!" Lettuce cried out happily.

"Lettuce, are you alright?" Ichigo asked as she helped Lettuce up.

Lettuce nodded.

"What are you doing, slacking off like this?" Mint said, hands on her hips.

"I think you're one to talk, Mint," Ichigo muttered.

"What does that mean?" Mint demanded, a vein pulsing in her temple.

"Well, you're the one who just sits around all day drinking tea…" Ichigo said as Mint's face turned red with anger.

"Wait, how did you know I was here?" Lettuce asked, confused. Ichigo and Mint abandoned their argument and turned back to their leader.

"We saw the name of this place on that ticket you couldn't stop staring at all day," Mint explained. "Shirogane told us to come check it out."

"Are you here on a date, nya?" Ichigo asked excitedly, looking around. "Is he here, nya? Is he cute, nya? Do you want to double-date with me and Aoyama-Kun, nya?"

"Shirogane-San sent you?" Lettuce asked, blinking. The Chimera roared and all three girls jumped. "Ah, now probably isn't the best time to talk."

"Go ahead and transform, Mew Lettuce!" Mint said, handing Lettuce her pendant.

Lettuce brought the pendant to her lips.

"MEW MEW LETTUCE, METAMORPHO-SIS!"

Within seconds, she had her hand on her hip, the other in the air. Mint and Ichigo copied the gesture and together, they cried out,

"FOR THE FATE OF THE EARTH, WE WILL GIVE IT OUR ALL!"

"Pests Two and Three. Blue avian and pink feline, respectively," Pie observed blankly. "Triple mortality rate. Chances of success: 75%."

The three girls jumped and dodged the Chimera lunging after them.

"We can't keep dodging it all day!" Ichigo said as they ran.

"Let's split up and attack it while it's chasing one of us!" Lettuce said.

Together, the three girls called out,

"THREE, TWO, ONE, NOW!"

And they split off three different directions…

And the Chimera chased after Lettuce.

"WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?" Lettuce screamed as Ichigo and Mint prepared their weapons. Suddenly, the chimera grabbed her by the hem of her skirt and flung her backwards, her knees tucked up to her chin as she screamed.

"Mew Lettuce!" Mint cried with surprise.

"Strawberry Bell!" Ichigo yelled, holding out her hand and the bell appeared. She brought her arm back, the bell clutched in her hand, a cute but devious grin on her face as she brought it above her head, grasped it with both hands and brought it down in front of her. "RIBBON… STRAWBERRY… CHECK!"

The blow hit the Chimera, weakening it but didn't finish it off.

Lettuce crossed her wrists over her chest, bringing out her Lettustanets, clicking them before raising them out in front of her, then above her head.

"RIBBON… LETTUCE RUSH!" She yelled, bringing her arms down in front of her.

The Chimera reverted back to an infuser and lion cub, who was very confused. Mini-Mew collected the infuser and started flying away as the curious and playful cub tried to catch the fluffy robot.

"Alright!" Mint said with a grin.

"We did it!" Ichigo cheered, jumping in the air.

"Thank goodness," Lettuce breathed.

Pie frowned slightly in anger.

"Attempt four, failure. Information logged and awaiting to be processed," He said to himself. "Chimera Attempt Five, pending. Note to self: increase durability and seek new attack methods. I will make my departure to base now."

"AND DON'T COME BACK!" Ichigo yelled at the alien, pointing at him. He merely looked unimpressed with an arched eyebrow and disappeared with the air rippling around him.

There was a slight pause and Ichigo said,

"He's going to come back, isn't he?"

"More than likely," Mint said with a shrug. Ichigo sighed in defeat.

"Didn't think that would work," She said. She shook her head and turned to Lettuce. "So, who are you here with?"

Lettuce's eyes widened and she took off running without an explanation, de-transforming as she went.

"Uri!" She yelled. "Uri! Uri, where are you?"

Then she saw him, looking around, a bit scared.

"Lettuce! Onee-Chan! Lettuce Onee-Chan!" He yelled, his voice cracking some.

"Uri!" Lettuce breathed, running over to him and throwing her arms around the boy. She bent down to look him over closely, checking for harm, relieved to find none. She hugged him again. "Uri, you're safe!"

But Uri just shoved him away. His eyes were hard and full of anger and fear. Lettuce felt guilty instantly.

"Where were you?" He demanded. "You were there and then you weren't! I was so scared you were kidnapped or hurt or dead and—" He cut himself off and crossed his arms over his chest, turning his head away.

Though he tried his best to hide them, Lettuce saw the two lone tears that ran down his cheeks.

"Gomen-Nasai, Uri," Lettuce whispered, ducking her head, her own tears filling her eyes. She couldn't tell him why she had disappeared…

Uri just turned on his heel, hastily wiping away his tears.

"Let's go home," Uri muttered.

As they walked, Lettuce followed behind Uri, her head down and her vision blurry. She had let him down and scared him. He had tried to protect his big sister and she left him. As grown-up as Uri tried to act, he was still only a child. She couldn't even say that she had spent that time they were apart searching desperately for him.

"Uri-Chan," Lettuce whispered, stopping in her tracks, the tears becoming too much. "Uri, I'm so sorry… I didn't—I wasn't trying to—"

Uri suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her. Lettuce hugged him back, burying her face in his soft dark green hair.

"It's okay, Onee-Chan," Uri said. "I was just really scared that I had lost you. I don't want to lose you."

They continued to hug for a moment, then Uri said,

"Lettuce-Chan? Can we go back to that park soon? But next time, you don't disappear like that?"

"Of course," Lettuce said, rubbing her eyes and sniffling some. She smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "You're stuck with me, Uri, don't forget that. I'm not going to disappear anytime soon."

"Promise?" Uri asked, holding up his pinky. Lettuce smiled and wrapped her own pinky around his.

"I promise," She said.

Smiles on their faces and their tears dried, the siblings headed home.

As they were walking, Lettuce couldn't help but glance at her brother, who chattered away animatedly.

_I may be afraid of you, Pie-San, but I won't stop fighting you,_ She thought. _Because this is what I'm fighting for.  
_

* * *

**So, obviously not in a romantic sense, but Lettuce's brother will at points take Masaya's role in the series, like he did here. Hopefully it'll all work out on paper like it does in my head.  
**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:

"And? What is the name of this nuisance?" The childlike voice asked as Pie knelt before it in the dark, the dimly glowing infusers floating around the blue orb.

"They identify themselves as Mew Lettuce, Mew Mint and Mew Ichigo, respectively," Pie answered without missing a beat.

"Is that so?" The voice said almost curiously.

"The true identity of these beings is unknown," Pie said. "They appear to be human. However, be it genetic annomoly or the species is either slowly evolving or un-evolving, they have animal features while still maintaining a human appearance. I am looking into what has changed them into such. With that information, their weakness will reveal itself and they will be destroyed."

"Good. This entirety of this inferior species must be wiped out." The voice said with a slight hiss. "I cannot forgive this 'human race' who soil this beautiful planet and think they are the true owners of it… And now they are going against us, the rightful owners. Destroy them. Immediately! I do not care what it takes, they must be eradicated!"

"I have devised a strategy that will do just that," Pie said, keeping all pride out of his voice, though he did feel it surge through him. He reached out and plucked an infuser out of the air, holding it in both hands. "Inside each of these infusers contains the condensed Deoxyribonucleic Acid of the animals on this planet. When combined with a human spirit, a soul, it will create a Chimera Animal that will effectively destroy the human race."

"Get onto it right away," The voice instructed with approval.

"Hai," Pie said, nodding his head. Dismissed, he disappeared.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Ichigo glanced over her shoulder and growled. Mint sat and stirred her tea before taking a dainty sip. Lettuce pretended to ignore them both as she continued to vacuum.

"Hey, Mint!" Ichigo said with a tone of annoyance.

"Yes?" Mint replied sweetly.

"We're opening soon, don't you think you should help get the Café ready?" Ichigo demanded, hands on her hips.

"But I am, dear Ichigo-Chan," Mint said, her eyes twinkling. Ichigo looked confused

"Doing what?" She asked as Mint continued to sip the tea.

"I am taste-testing today's special tea," She said with a smirk. "It has quite an elegant taste." She looked Ichigo up and down. "Something around here has to and it is clearly not you."

Ichigo fumed, a tick-mark forming on her head as she looked like she wanted to strangle Mint.

"Ichigo-San, I'll help you," Lettuce said to pacify the cat-girl.

"That is not the problem!" Ichigo yelled, stamping her foot.

"Did you finish the cleaning outside the store yet?" Ryou demanded as he entered the dining room. Ichigo's mood seemed to get even worse. For some reason, Ryou and Ichigo just did not get along well and it felt like they were constantly at each other's throats.

"Uh, not yet," Lettuce said, biting the corner of her lip.

After a brief argument between Ryou and Ichigo—that somehow in the end resolved around Ichigo's all-you-can-eat-for-free cake privileges potentially being taken away if she didn't go sweep the front in a timely manner—Lettuce and Ichigo went outside to sweep the path.

"I cannot fight against those words," Ichigo said darkly as she swept. "Keiichiro's cakes are so good… And taste even better when they're free."

"Let's do our best, Ichigo-San," Lettuce said with a smile as she swept.

"You're always so optimistic, Lettuce," Ichigo said with a sigh as she leaned on her broom dramatically. "And so carefree…"

[Excuse me?]

The two girls turned to look a tall blond woman standing there, smiling. However, neither girl had a clue what she was saying as she proceeded to speak in English.

"What should we do?" Ichigo whispered as they both stood there, looking like deer caught in headlights. "She's asking us something…"

"Y-yes. Yes she is," Lettuce said, with wide eyes. She took a deep breath and started searching for a way to introduce herself, "Uh, I am 'a Lettuce'?"

"You don't put an 'a' in front of your name…" Ichigo said softly.

"Uh, [Lettuce! Me Lettuce!]" Lettuce exclaimed, using one of the few words she knew in English, which happened to be the direct translation of her name.

[Lettuce?] The woman repeated, very confused.

[Strawberry!] Ichigo proclaimed with a wide smile, a finger in the air. [I am strawberry!]

[Lettuce? Strawberry?] The woman repeated, looking even more confused than she had. She then asked another question, but again neither girl knew what she was saying.

Both girls froze for a second, then next thing Lettuce knew, Ichigo was gone.

"I'm getting help!" She called behind her, her arms in the air in a universally acknowledged signal of panic.

"Wait, Ichigo-San, don't leave—" Lettuce called, but it was too late. "Me." She squeaked. She groaned slightly and rested her forehead against the broom handle.

The woman continued to ask questions in English and Lettuce responded with every English phrase she had been taught in school. Which didn't help either of them. At all.

[The sky is blue! That is your pen! I like chocolate!] Lettuce squeaked out to the woman's confusion, trying to understand what she was trying to say.

"Onee-Chan?"

Lettuce looked over her shoulder and her eyes brightened some. Uri was coming down the path with his bright smile.

"Uri, what are you doing here?" Lettuce said.

"I was on my way to a friend's house. Is something wrong?" Uri asked, looking at the strange woman.

"Yes!" Lettuce squeaked out. "I can't understand her at all!"

The woman spoke again, causing Lettuce to jump. To Lettuce's surprise, Uri began speaking in broken but coherent English, explaining that he had picked up some from American television. The two conversed for a moment, the woman speaking slowly so Uri could understand and he nodded a few times before turning to Lettuce.

"This is McGuire Mary-San, from San Francisco in the United States. She is looking for someone named Shirogane Ryou-San?" Uri said.

Suddenly, Ryou and Keiichiro were coming down the path, both speaking in English with the woman and shaking her hand in a pleasant tone with a smile.

"He acts so different from usual," Ichigo quipped softly as she and Mint came over to stand by Lettuce. They barely noticed that Ryou had taken a glance at the green-haired boy and frowned ever so slightly. Uri met his eyes and frowned slightly as well as Ichigo continued to mutter, "It kinda pisses me off."

A moment later, Keiichiro and Ryou were leading the American woman inside the Café.

"Onee-Chan?"

Lettuce looked down at her younger brother.

"Is he a friend of yours?" Uri asked, his brow furrowed. "That blonde guy?"

"That was Shirogane-San, my manager, and the other man is Akasaka-San, the cook," Lettuce explained. She gestured to Mint and Ichigo. "These are my friends: Aizawa Mint-San and Momomiya Ichigo-San. Mint-San, Ichigo-San, this is my little brother, Uri."

"Nice to meet you, Uri-Chan!" Ichigo said with a smile.

"It's nice to meet Onee-Chan's friends!" Uri said with a large grin.

"Thank you for helping me," Lettuce said. "I thought I was going to die…"

"Death by the English language?" Mint said, an eyebrow raised.

"It could happen," Lettuce said, blushing some.

"Would you like to come inside and have some tea, Uri-Chan?" Ichigo asked.

"Thank you for the offer, Ichigo-San, but I was actually going to a friend's house," Uri said.

"Maybe some other time," Mint said. Uri nodded and said his good-byes before walking down the sidewalk again.

"He's a cute little kid," Ichigo observed. Lettuce smiled some.

"He is," She said. "He's probably the most important boy in my life."

"Well, he'll be that until you get a boyfriend," Mint said, causing Lettuce to turn scarlet.

"I-I'm not, I mean, it's not something I really need at this time—" She stuttered, turning redder and redder, clutching onto her broom. "Oh, let's just go inside!"

As the girls entered the Café, they heard the sound of beautiful piano music and saw the woman, Mary McGuire, sitting in front of a grand piano with Ryou and Keiichiro standing around, listening to her play.

"What a pretty melody!" Lettuce said, smiling.

"Where did the piano come from?" Ichigo asked vaguely.

"Who cares? Just listen…" Mint said with a small sigh.

When the song ended, they all clapped.

"Bravo!" Keiichiro praised. The woman gave her thanks in English. Keiichiro then turned to the girls. "Ms. McGuire is going to perform for a party that Ryou is throwing on Friday."

"A party!" The girls said together, Ichigo and Mint excited and Lettuce a little confused.

"Yes, to support wildlife conservation," Keiichiro said.

"This Friday?" Lettuce said, still confused.

"Yes, and all of you are invited," Keiichiro continued. "It will be a gorgeous and elegant party, and we have prepared wonderful dresses for each of you."

"Dresses?" Mint said excitedly.

"Can I bring Aoyama-Kun, nya?" Ichigo asked and Ryou shrugged, which Ichigo took as approval as she started squealing and twirling excitedly, jabbering away about dancing with Aoyama-Kun and him seeing her all dressed up.

"So, does this mean that Shirogane-San is the host?" Lettuce asked.

Ryou merely smiled at her and went over to speak with Ms. McGuire then left the room.

Ms. McGuire stood up from the piano and approached Lettuce.

"Oh, oh… oh, no… Keiichiro-San, tell her that I don't speak English!" Lettuce insisted, waving her hands to discourage the woman from speaking to her. However, Ms. McGuire took her hands and smiled at her, speaking briefly in English, recognizing only her own name. Lettuce blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"She said, 'I'd love to play the piano for pretty girls like you'," Keiichiro translated.

"Pretty?" Lettuce repeated, smiling up at the woman. She bowed some. "Arigato, McGuire-San."

Ms. McGuire said her good-byes and left the Café.

"She's so…" Mint breathed.

"Cool and grown up and amazing, nya," Ichigo finished with a small sigh of awe.

"Ryou fell in love with her music," Keiichiro said. "The song you just heard her play, she composed it herself. Ryou says that she has a good, pure spirit. Insisted that no one else would be fit to perform at this party but her. I feel the same way."

As they got back to work, Lettuce wondered briefly if Ryou had any idea that Friday, this upcoming Friday that the party was scheduled for, would be her thirteenth birthday.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Lettuce was struggling with getting the trash can out to the dumpster that evening.

"What's in this, rocks?" She muttered to herself.

"That kid this morning. Who was he?"

Lettuce looked over to see Ryou, who had his arms behind his back like he was hiding something.

"My little brother, Uri," Lettuce said. "He was just passing by on the way to a friend's house."

Ryou nodded, his eyes not leaving Lettuce's face, making her turn scarlet.

"Here," He said, bringing out a white box for her. "It's your dress for Friday. Try it on tonight and if it doesn't fit bring it back and I will get it fixed in time for the party."

Lettuce opened the box and her eyes widened as she smiled at the pretty green dress inside.

"It's beautiful, thank you," She said.

"It's your favorite color, right?" Ryou asked, having turned away. "I thought that was your favorite. I can change it if you want."

"No, it's perfect, I love it, thank you so much, Shirogane-San!" Lettuce said, smiling brightly.

He glanced over his shoulder.

"Call me Ryou," He said.

Lettuce blinked and blushed some. The only boys she was on first-name basis with was her brother and her male cousins.

"Shirogane-San?" She whispered.

"Ryou," He insisted.

"Ryou-San?" She repeated, forcing his name out awkwardly, turning red the entire time.

_Why does my heart feel like it's going to jump out of my chest?_ She asked herself as she hugged the box to her chest.

"You got it," Ryou said, giving her a grin. With that, he tucked his hands behind his head and walked away, leaving her standing there with her heart pounding.

Ryou smiled to himself.

He really hoped Lettuce would enjoy her birthday party.

* * *

**Next chapter: PARTY TIME! :D**

**EDIT: So, when I started this chapter, Aoyama appeared instead of Uri, like in the anime episode, but I later changed my mind as it didn't really make sense. Apparently I didn't proof-read well enough to catch the one 'Aoyama' I forgot to change. ^_^ Fixed it now, though.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven:

Lettuce stood with her friends in the large banquet hall Friday evening, looking around in awe.

Her dress was strapless and a pale green and had a triangular section on the front that was laced up with fine white ribbon. She wore low white heels, elbow-length gloves and a necklace with a stone the color of her eyes. Her long hair was down and the contacts she rarely wore were in, allowing her to take in everything without looking through glass.

Mint and Ichigo looked very cute in their dresses. Mint's had a dark blue bodice with red ribbons on the neckline and a pale-blue knee-length skirt. She wore red ribbons around her buns, low black heels and wrist-high gloves. Ichigo's dress was pink and had a white underskirt with a pink over-skirt. Her dress also had red ribbons and she wore white gloves and white heels. Aoyama-Kun was indeed Ichigo's date and he looked very handsome in his tuxedo. Lettuce personally thought that Ichigo looked twice as beautiful in her happiness that Aoyama was beside her.

However, it was clear that all four teenagers were a little nervous being at a fancy, adult party. Well, three out of four were nervous.

"What should we do?" Ichigo asked, clutching on to Aoyama's arm. "I don't really know what to do or say…"

"Oh really?" Mint said with a small smirk. With that, she walked away, her nose high as she approached a man and curtsied. The man instantly took her hand and kissed it.

"She's used to it," Ichigo muttered with realization as she, Lettuce and Aoyama stood stunned.

Lettuce's ears pricked at hearing the sounds of a piano. She turned and smiled.

"Look, it's Mary-San!" She said.

"Waah! She looks so pretty, nya!" Ichigo said with a sigh.

"Her music is really beautiful," Masaya said as he listened, smiling.

"Hey, you're all here."

They turned to see Ryou and Keiichiro approach, Ryou in a white suit and Keiichiro in a black one. Lettuce instantly felt her cheeks heat as she saw Ryou.

"Hi!" Ichigo said cheerfully before introducing Aoyama to the older boys.

"You ladies both look magnificent," Keiichiro complimented.

"Arigato," They chimed together.

"And you boys don't look too bad yourself!" Ichigo said.

"Yes," Lettuce said shyly, her cheeks still heated. "White looks good on you, Ryou-San."

"Thank you," Ryou said, giving Lettuce a smile that made her turn even darker. Ichigo arched an eyebrow, wondering vaguely who this man was and where her real boss was. "It's a party, so enjoy yourselves."

Suddenly, the music for dancing began and people began to pair off.

"Momomiya-San, would you like to dance?" Aoyama asked. Ichigo nodded happily, her eyes twinkling as Aoyama led her onto the floor. They were soon both blurs as Aoyama twirled Ichigo, she looking like this was the happiest moment of her life.

Keiichiro politely bowed to Mint, who had returned right as the music began, and asked her if she would honor him to dance with him, to which she agreed and they were soon dancing as well.

"Would you like to dance, Lettuce-Chan?" Ryou asked, holding out his hand for her. She turned red again.

"N-no, not a good idea, Ryou-San!" She insisted. "I-I can't dance. I tried once at the PE festival at school and that was a disaster."

But Ryou didn't seem to heed her words as he took her hand and led her onto the dance floor.

"I'll teach you, then," He said.

High above the dance-floor, Pie dropped out of the air onto the roof, landing with the silence and stealth of a ninja and in a crouch, listening to the sounds of the party below.

"There must be one member of this miserable excuse for a race of people to be compatible," He muttered to himself as he held up the infuser he had brought. "Perhaps luck will be on my side tonight."

Lettuce continued to have a look of horror as Ryou held her hands, trying to get her to move in time with the music. However, she tripped slightly, her foot landing on his.

"Gomen-nasai!" She squeaked, turning red again.

He just smiled at her and stopped. Then he took a step forward, getting closer to him. Lettuce's knees shook as he looked down at her.

"Get closer," He said. Suddenly, his arm was around her waist, pulling her towards him. Lettuce turned scarlet some more, her body tensing. "You need to relax." He told her. "Now follow my lead."

Lettuce did so, moving her feet with Ryou, her eyes not leaving his face once. They were quiet, dancing, letting the music flow over them. Lettuce couldn't believe it. She was actually _dancing_.

"Do you like it?" Ryou asked.

"The dance?" Lettuce asked. Ryou shook his head.

"The party," He said. "Do you like it?"

"Yes, it's very nice," Lettuce said. Ryou smiled, relieved.

"Good. I'm glad you like it. Because it's for you," He said. Lettuce turned red again.

"F-For me?" She stuttered.

"Partly my way of apologizing, partly my way of saying 'happy birthday'," He explained with a shy smile.

"Apologizing?" She repeated. "For what?"

Ryou glanced down for a moment, then back up with a sigh.

"For being a jerk to you," He said. "Ever since you learned you're a Mew, I haven't been exactly nice or helpful. To be honest, I was very afraid."

"Afraid?" Lettuce repeated, her brow furrowing.

"Afraid that the project wouldn't work. Afraid that your life, and those of four others, were at risk because I messed up. Afraid that the aliens can't be defeated, that you wouldn't be strong enough," He smirked some. "First time you transformed, without any help, without your pendant, with practically nothing, that last fear went away. I knew you would be strong. I knew you could do it, could fight, could lead, could do anything. But I still have this lingering fear that if you die, it will all be my fault. And I don't want that."

"It wouldn't be your fault, Ryou-San," Lettuce said, smiling up at him. "And don't worry. I won't let you down."

"You letting me down is not what I'm worried about," Ryou said, smiling gently at her. "It never has been. Never will be."

Lettuce's smile grew at his confidence in her, though she blushed some.

"Thank you," She whispered.

With that, the music ceased. The dance was over. Everyone clapped as Mary McGuire rose from the piano and walked out of the room.

Lettuce felt her flushed cheeks with her hands and sighed,

"I'm going to step outside for a minute," She said. Ryou nodded. Lettuce crossed the room and stepped onto the terrace, leaning against the cool stone that encircled the area.

She sighed as she felt the cool breeze blow against her skin.

"This feels so nice…" She said with another soft sigh.

She heard footsteps behind her and she looked over her shoulder to see Ryou holding a glass.

"Here," He said. "I thought you might like a drink."

"Arigato," Lettuce said and sipped the cold drink. She paused for a moment, then looked back up at Ryou.

"Ryou-San? May I ask you a question?" She said softly.

"Of course," Ryou said.

"Why this dress?" She asked, tilting her head some.

"I thought you would like it, and that it would look nice on you," Ryou said. "Do you not like it?"

"No, not at all, I love it," Lettuce said, smiling. "It's so—"

"Hold still," Ryou said. Lettuce did so, staring up at his eyes as he raised his hand, gently adjusting a stray piece of her hair. "Your hair got out of place." He explained. He turned, grinning at her over his shoulder. "I need to go say hello to a few people. I'll see you back inside."

Lettuce went back to leaning against the wall, staring of into the distance, trying to wrap her head around it all.

_Could… it possibly be that Ryou-San likes me? And…_ She glanced down at her chest, where her heart was still trying to jump out of her ribcage. _Could I possibly like him?_

Lettuce glanced down at the courtyard where Mary McGuire was crossing the grass. Lettuce smiled.

"Mary-San!" She called just as another male voice rumbled,

"Sashimi."

Lettuce's glass shattered as it hit the ground as she turned with wide-eyes to look up and see Pie floating there over the archway, arms over his chest, emotionless as ever.

"So this is a 'party'," He said. "A form of human 'entertainment'. 'Excitement'. 'Fun'. I, however, find it dull. Perhaps I should supply my own form of 'entertainment'."

"W-what?" Lettuce stuttered.

Pie's evil smirk was back as he raised his hand, causing his palm to glow. Lettuce turned to see where his steely indigo gaze was locked. She gasped.

"Mary-San!" She yelled as the woman crumpled to the ground, her skin color paling until it was a dull gray.

She turned back up at Pie, who stood with a glowing pale pink ball in the palm of his hand. There was a small pop and the the ball became a crystal. With his other hand, Pie held an infuser.

"When I combine this infuser with a compatible human's spirit," He said, like a teacher explaining a chemistry experiment. "It will create a Chimera like no other. For example…"

With that, Pie brought the infuser next to the crystal, which was absorbed into the jelly-fish creature. It glowed brightly and Lettuce hid her eyes so as to not be blinded. When she opened her eyes, there was a tall, cat-like Chimera standing behind Pie, a key-tar slung in front of its body.

"Pie-San, what have you done?" Lettuce managed to get out, still staring at the Chimera. Mini-Mew popped out and flew into the hall, seeking out the other two girls.

"Created the ultimate weapon of destruction," Pie said blankly. "It appears that humans are good for something. The annihilation of their own race."

The Chimera leapt at Lettuce who leapt off the balcony without a second thought. She just barely landed on her feet shakily and wondered briefly if Ichigo got all the cat DNA.

"This is unforgivable, Pie-San!" Lettuce yelled up at Pie, who looked unimpressed by her declaration. "Doing this to a person who can create such beautiful music! It's just horrible!"

Inside, Mint and Ichigo were by the drink tables. Aoyama had been caught up in a conversation with a leading environmentalist that he admired and Ichigo had gone to get the two of them drinks while they chatted and had run into Mint on the way. Suddenly, Mini-Mew was at their feet.

"Mini-Mew? What's the matter?" Ichigo asked, setting down the glasses.

"Alien! Alien! Lettuce need help! Lettuce need help!" Mini-Mew chirped. The two girls exchanged wide-eye looks and ran out, Ryou and Keiichiro following.

"Lettuce!" Ichigo called as she and Mint hopped over the banister, landing on the ground and running to Lettuce's side.

"Minna-San, he turned Mary McGuire-San into a Chimera Animal!" Lettuce said, pointing up at Pie and the Chimera.

"WHAT?" The two girls exclaimed, eyes wide.

"A human into a Chimera Animal?" Mint said in surprise.

"How is that even possible?" Ichigo asked.

"That doesn't matter now!" Lettuce said urgently. "We need to save Mary-San!"

"Right!" Ichigo and Mint chimed in unison.

"MEW MEW MINT!" Mint cried, kissing her pendant and bending backwards to bring the stone between the marks on her back.

"MEW MEW ICHIGO!" Ichigo cried, kissing her pendant and then folding her hands above her chest so that her palms were pressed together, her pendant between the marks on her hands, her eyes glowing pink.

"MEW MEW LETTUCE!" Lettuce cried, kissing her pendant and lowering it to the marking on her chest.

Together, they all cried out,

"METAMORPHO-SIS!"

Together, the three girls put one hand on their hip and the other hand in the air, shouting,

"FOR THE FATE OF THE EARTH, WE WILL GIVE OUR ALL!"

"Initiating Phase Three of Spirit Chimera Experiment Number 001," Pie said from where he sat on top of the banister with his legs folded Indian style, arms still folded over his chest, the Chimera crouched beside him. "Chimera. Crush them."

"Pia-NOOOOOO!" The Chimera howled, leaping at the girls, who jumped, dodged and shrieked to get away from the claws.

"Deep Blue will certainly be pleased with the current outcome of this experiment," Pie said, allowing a small self-satisfied smirk.

"Deep Blue?" Lettuce said, turning up to the older alien boy. He had mentioned a 'master' once before. Was this the name of that 'master'? Lettuce didn't have long to ponder this as the Chimera came at her and she was stuck from behind and sent through the air. Mint and Ichigo barely had enough time to get to her side and get her out of the way before the Chimera got her again.

"Thanks, Ichigo-San, thanks, Mint-San," Lettuce said as she regained her balance. She frowned. "This Chimera is different from the ones before. Stronger."

"I'll go first!" Mint said with a smirk as she glared down the Chimera. "Mint Arrow!"

Mint aimed down her bow as she twirled, releasing the arrow with a cry of,

"RIBBON MINT ECHO!"

But the Chimera just leapt out of the way.

"My turn, nya!" Ichigo said, holding out her arms. "Strawberry Bell!" The bell appeared in her hands and she called out, "RIBBON STRAWBERRY CHECK!"

Again, the Chimera got out of the way. The Chimera started playing eerie notes on the key-tar and again exclaimed,

"PIA-NOOOO!"

A whirlwind was created around the Chimera and the girls had to fight to stay on their feet, covering their faces with their arms out of risk of their eyes being injured with flying debris.

"I can't breathe!" Ichigo called out.

"She's been turned into a Chimera," Keiichiro said to Ryou as the two went to the balcony, the other guests inside blissfully unaware of the chaos outside. He shook his head some, his face grim. "I can't believe they would make a human into a Chimera Animal…"

"Its power is more than expected," Ryou observed with his own scowl.

"What should we do, Ryou?" Keiichiro asked.

Ryou struggled hard to find a plan. Then his eyes widened and he looked over his shoulder, grinning at the speakers.

"Keiichiro! Use the intercom to play Mary's music at full volume!" Ryou ordered.

"On it!" Keiichiro said, running back inside as Ryou hopped over the banister.

Lettuce struggled to stay on her feet, and her eyes widened to see Mint and Ichigo fall to their knees on the ground. Reluctantly, she fell as well. But then she didn't feel as much pressure from the wind.

When she looked up, she saw Ryou standing there, shielding her with his body.

"Ryou-San!" She gasped.

"I can't believe you would use the spirit of a human who can play such a beautiful melody as a weapon!" He exclaimed, glaring up at Pie, who merely glared back.

Then, that was when they heard it, faintly at first, but clearly.

Music.

Mary's music.

"Listen to the sound of a pure Spirit!" Ryou yelled up at both Pie and the Chimera.

The Chimera choked some and faltered. Pie's eyes widened and he moved from his relaxed pose in the air, his mouth opening some in shock.

"What?" He hissed.

"The wind is dying down!" Ichigo said as she sat up some.

As the girls were starting to get up, Ryou fell over.

"Ryou-San!" Lettuce said, rushing over to him, but he was more focused on the Chimera, which was acting wild and crazy.

"Just as I thought," Ryou said grimly. "That thing is unstable. Now, Mew Lettuce!"

"Hai!" Lettuce said, jumping to her feet.

Lettuce crossed her arms over her chest, the gemstone around her wrist glowing.

"LETTUSTANETS!" She called out, the weapons appearing in her hands. "RIBBON… LETTUCE RUSH!" She yelled, blasting the creature with her attack.

With a final cry of "PIA-NOOOOOOOO" the Chimera fell, the infuser and Mary's soul separating. While Mini-Mew gobbled up the infuser, Lettuce caught the spirit and ran over to Mary, releasing the soul back into her. Slowly, her color started to come back.

Lettuce glared up at Pie and pointed at him.

"I don't know what you're planning," She yelled at him. "But I won't let you win!"

"Soon you will no longer be a concern," Pie said blankly. "Then you will have no control over what I will and will not do." As he disappeared, he said, "Until next time, Sashimi."

"And don't come back!" Ichigo yelled, pointing at where Pie had just been. She paused for a second in the silence that followed. "He'll come back anyways, though, won't he?"

"What do you think, baka strawberry?" Ryou snapped as he got to his feet. Ichigo only stuck her tongue out at him.

The girls de-transformed and went back over to Mary, gently shaking her.

"Mary-San?" Lettuce said. "Mary-San? Please wake up, Mary-San."

Mary's eyes fluttered open and she sat up, looking very confused. She tilted her head at Lettuce and asked her a question in English.

"Are you alright?" Keiichiro called as he and Ryou ran over to them. Ryou helped Mary to her feet and they spoke briefly in English. To Lettuce's surprise, Mary went over to her and spoke in English, Keiichiro translating,

"Thank you for saving me, Lettuce."

Lettuce smiled shyly.

"You're welcome," She said.

They all went back inside and found Aoyama-Kun, who had been very concerned as to where Ichigo had disappeared to, to which she merely responded that she had been in the ladies room, which relieved him some.

Suddenly, Keiichiro snapped his fingers.

"We almost forgot," He said to Ryou. The blond boy nodded and turned to the four teenagers and Mary.

"Stay here," He instructed, then the two disappeared.

"Eh? Where are they going?" Ichigo asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

To everyone's surprise, the two returned with a large pale green cake that the girls instantly recognized as Keiichiro's decorating with the words "Happy Birthday Lettuce" written on it in white icing. Mint and Ichigo both turned in surprise to Lettuce, who blushed as suddenly all attention was on her.

"Today's your birthday, isn't it?" Mint asked. Still blushing, Lettuce nodded.

"Thirteenth," She muttered.

"Congratulations," Aoyama said with a smile.

"Wah, why didn't you tell us!" Ichigo said. "If we had known we would have gotten you a present…"

"Really, that's unnecessary," Lettuce said, blushing even harder now.

"No matter," Mint said with a shrug. "Ichigo and I will just have to take you shopping tomorrow to make up for it."

"Yeah!" Ichigo said with a big nod.

"S-seriously?" Lettuce said, blinking. Over the past few years, her birthdays had been rather small affairs, spent mostly with her parents and brother. She had never made plans to celebrate her birthday with anyone other than family before.

"Yeah, seriously!" Ichigo said, throwing her arms around the porpoise-girl, Mint doing the same.

"So, I'll have the limo at your house by nine… Then we'll get Ichigo and head for the shopping district," Mint said, already laying out the plans.

"Hey, are we going to let this cake go to waste?" Ryou teased. "Come on, let's toast the birthday girl and eat."

Lettuce continued to turn red as Ryou grabbed a glass of juice, clinking it with a knife, getting everyone's attention.

"I'd like to propose a toast to Midorikawa Lettuce, our birthday girl of the evening," He said. He glanced at her and smiled. "May this year and those to come be as bright as her smile."

Lettuce's face was darker than Ichigo's hair as the entire room of people raised their glasses to toast her.

After the toast, Mary gently took Lettuce's hand again, smiling. Coached by Keiichiro whispering in her ear and brokenly, she said in Japanese,

"I am very happy that I was able to come to celebrate this milestone in your life, Lettuce-Chan. I hope that this year is a very happy one for you."

Lettuce smiled and bowed her head. Brokenly, in English, she responded,

[Thank you.]

After that, Keiichiro cut the cake and it was passed out. She spent the rest of the evening with her friends, laughing and dancing and generally enjoying herself.

It was the best birthday ever.

* * *

**Next up, PUDDING! That should be an adventure...**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve:

Mint and Ichigo were arguing again over Mint sitting around and drinking tea while Ichigo and Lettuce worked. Ryou was hiding in the basement, muttering something about there being way too much estrogen in the building. The customers were just too whiny today.

So needless to say, Lettuce was very glad to hear Keiichiro say that someone needed to go to the grocery store and instantly volunteered.

However, she regretted it when she got to the store and saw the actual length of the list.

Which was why she was walking back to the Café with her arms loaded with full bags.

"What was I thinking, going shopping alone?" Lettuce asked with a sigh as she shifted the bags, trying to see over them.

"Not alone! Not alone! With Mini-Mew! With Mini-Mew!" Mini-Mew chirped from beside her head.

Lettuce smiled.

"You're right, Mini-Mew, I'm not alone," Lettuce said. "But this sure is heavy…"

Lettuce's toe caught a crack in the sidewalk, sending her and the bags to the ground with an 'Eeeek!'. She climbed to her feet and collected the spilled items with a sigh.

"This is the price I pay to get out of the Café for a while," She said sadly. "Is it worth it, Mini-Mew?"

"Is it worth it? Is it worth it?" Mini-Mew chirped. Lettuce just smiled.

"I sometimes wonder if you understand what I'm saying…" She said. She shook her head and looked to see a small park. "How pretty."

She thought for a moment.

"Well, taking a short break wouldn't hurt," She said. "Besides, I'm over half-way there…"

Lettuce entered the park and found a bench near the fountain. With a yawn, she leaned her head back.

"At least I now know what it's like running a business," She said. She sighed. "This park is wonderful. Small, pretty, quiet, peaceful… And the wind feels so good!"

She opened her eyes at hearing applause from across the way accompanied with giggles.

A crowd surrounded a little blond girl wearing an orange, Chinese-style outfit as she stood on one hand. She flipped onto her feet and held out a small pan, which people put yen coins and bills into.

"Arigato, na no da!" She said, still giggling and smiling.

"Oh," Lettuce said to herself, smiling as she stretched her arms over her head. "That child's performing. She sure is cute. But so tiny. Is she an elementary student?"

"KONNICHIWA, NA NO DA!"

Lettuce leapt a foot in the air as the child suddenly and unexpected appeared from amidst her bags of groceries, her big grin spread across her face and her hands in the air.

"Eh!" Lettuce exclaimed, her heart pounding as she fixed her glasses. "You scared me!"

The girl didn't seem to hear her or care as she said,

"Pudding'll perform an act for you, just watch, na no da!"

"Um… Uh… I… Ano…" Lettuce stuttered, but it was too late.

The little girl leapt from the bench, landing with a slight bow.

"Now then, na no da…" She said, her eyes gleaming as she danced around. "Gather round and come watch everyone, na no da!"

She did a back flip and landed in a handstand on a large ball and proceeded to walk on it with her hands.

"Pudding'll start by riding this ball, na no da!" She called and Lettuce clapped, amazed by this girl's ability. She had only seen circus performers do that trick, and they all had to be over twice this girl's age. She then remembered the little blond girl from the exhibit. She had done this trick, hadn't she? It must have been the same girl. There couldn't be many elementary school kids who would walk on a large ball…

Out of nowhere, she had started her next act, which consisted of spinning plates on thin rods, and then there were rods and plates on top of some of them. She held none, just went into an arabesque and let the rods rest on her arms, head and outstretched leg.

"Pudding will rotate plates now, na no da!" She cried happily, her balance never failing.

"Oooh," Lettuce said, her eyes widening some.

"A plucky act now, na no da!" She said as she danced in front of a hand-painted 'set' with two feathers on her head and her shirt up, showing that she had painted a face on her stomach with several feathers behind her.

"Wow…" Lettuce said, amazed. "This is…"

She watched as the girl breathed fire, rotated a small parasol with a ball on-top while dressed in a kimono, balanced on a teetering platform stacked with chairs, and even shot herself out of a cannon, Lettuce cheering her on.

The girl then came to stand in front of Lettuce again, still grinning widely and panting some.

"How was it, na no da?" She asked.

"That was an amazing show!" Lettuce complimented. "You are very talented."

"Really, na no da?" The girl said proudly.

"Yes, thank you," Lettuce said as she rose from the park bench and gathered her groceries.

Lettuce had only taken a few steps when the small blond child was suddenly in front of her, hand out-stretched.

"Then please give me a tip, na no da," She said.

"Huh?" Lettuce said, her brow furrowed as the girl jumped around, exclaiming,

"TIP TIP TIP TIP TIP TIP!"

"I-I can't really…" Lettuce said, turning red. The only money she had on her was the change from the groceries, and she needed to give that all back to Ryou and Keiichiro, but the girl was insistent.

"TIP TIP TIP TIP TIP TIP TIP!"

Lettuce finally outstretched her hand and the girl stopped, her eyes wide as she held out her hands.

"ARIGATO, NA NO DA!" She said as Lettuce dropped the object into the girl's hand. Lettuce smiled and then started to walk away.

"Bye! Thanks for the show!" Lettuce called.

Then the girl looked down at her hand and frowned at the wrapped candies there.

"WAIT, NA NO DA!" The girl called, running over and grabbing hold of the back of Lettuce's shirt.

"I'm so sorry, but the only money I have is my bosses' and I can't give you that, gomen-nasai!" Lettuce cried, squeezing her eyes shut, trying desperately to get away, though the girl dragged her heels so that her weight—small as it was—kept her from doing so.

Finally, Lettuce felt the weight disappear and she almost tripped and heard the little girl hit the pavement behind her. With wide eyes, she turned and saw the little girl on the ground. Before she could do anything, the girl was crawling towards her feet. Lettuce's eyes widened as the girl looked up at her with teary eyes.

"Pudding did that with all her heart, na no da!" She said. She then actually began crying and Lettuce turned scarlet as she noticed that they had drawn a crowd. "Pudding's act was bad, na no da! Only if Pudding had done it better, na no da…"

"No, no, it was very good!" Lettuce insisted. "Please don't cry! I just don't have any money to give you… I am so sorry for that…"

"Then," The girl said, sniffling as she sat up, bringing out a big, black top hat. "Pudding will show you her best trick, na no da!"

Lettuce, still red, could only watch as the girl raised the hat towards her.

"A shark will come out of this silk hat, na no da!" She exclaimed.

There was a puff of smoke and Lettuce's eyes widened even more as she saw a shark and she gave a short scream, the porpoise in her terrified of the large creature and it's sharp, killing teeth.

She tried to run away, but couldn't as the shark grabbed onto her.

But it didn't exactly grab onto any of her limbs.

It grabbed onto one of the ribbons that had popped out of her scalp.

Lettuce felt herself go white as she saw that the 'shark' was nothing but a hand puppet as the people nearby clapped.

The girl stared at the ribbons in awe, knowing full well those hadn't been there before.

"Onee-Chan should have told Pudding that she could perform an act, too, na no da," She said, feeling the ribbon. "These are really well made, na no da. What are they made of, na no da?"

Lettuce stood horrified as the girl tugged on the ribbons, squeaking in pain occasionally when she gave an extra hard pull.

"How do these work, na no da?" She asked. "Pudding can't get them off, na no da…" The girl frowned in concentration. "They're so warm, na no da…" She muttered. "Are these—?"

Lettuce turned and slapped her hand over the girl's mouth.

"We will now end our performance for the day! Thank you! And good-bye!" Lettuce exclaimed, grabbing the girl and running out of the park at full speed.

She finally stopped running when they reached a bridge, panting as she sat there, her hand still firmly over the girl's mouth.

"There's… a reason… for this…" Lettuce panted out. "So, please, pretty please, please don't shout, please?"

The girl nodded, her brown-sugar eyes studying Lettuce intently.

"So, you understand?" Lettuce said.

"Uhm hmm!" The girl said through Lettuce's hand.

"Really?"

"Uhm hmm!"

"For real?"

"Uhm hmm!"

With a sigh of relief, Lettuce moved her hand and relaxed. But as soon as she did,

"THEY'RE REAL, NA NO DA!" The girl exclaimed, dancing around. "THE RIBBONS ARE REAL, NA NO DA! THEY ARE PART OF YOU, NA NO DA! ARE YOU A FAIRY OR A MERMAID OR OR MAYBE A FAIRY MERMAID, NA NO DA? PUDDING DOESN'T CARE, PUDDING WANTS RIBBONS LIKE THAT, THEY'RE SO PRETTY, NA NO DA!"

The girl tightly embraced a wide-eyed, pale-faced Lettuce.

"Huh?" She muttered. The girl did a backflip, landing on one foot.

"Make Pudding your pupil, Fairy-Mermaid-Chan, na no da!" She said, her smile still big and bold.

"Huh?" Lettuce muttered nervously. "I'm not a fairy…"

"So you're a mermaid, na no da?" The girl said. She made a grab at Lettuce's leg, lifting it in the air—causing Lettuce to squeak—and studied it. "Hmm, you don't have a mermaid tail, na no da. Oh, that must be because you're on land, na no da! That's cool that you can go back and forth, na no da! SQUEE! PUDDING IS SO EXCITED, NA NO DA! Now then, let's start the tough training that leads to glory, na no da… Is there a magic spell, na no da? A noble task, na no da? Please, please tell Pudding, na no da! Pudding must have them, na no da! RIBBONS RIBBONS RIBBONS RIBBONS RIBBONS!"

Lettuce could only sit there, wide eyed, as the little girl ran around, chanting that word over and over.

"Um, uh… Uh…" She muttered, very freaked out.

A few minutes later, to Lettuce's horror, the girl had led her back to her performing spot (Lettuce was just relieved to see that her groceries were still there).

"So, what does Pudding have to do first, na no da?" The girl asked, staring up at Lettuce with wide eyes. Lettuce began to panic. There wasn't a way for this girl to get ribbons like she had…

"I… I can't really teach…" Lettuce mumbled.

"Now what does Pudding do, na no da? What does Pudding do, na no da?" The girl insisted, getting in Lettuce's face, causing the older girl to panic.

"Um, uh…" Lettuce muttered, turning red. Then she saw the large ball. "Ten laps around the park while riding on the ball!"

"That's such an easy task, na no da! Pudding'll do it right away, na no da!" The girl said excitedly, jumping onto the ball and quickly rolling away with a cry of "ZOOM NA NO DA!"

Lettuce stood there for a moment, still a little stunned.

"She's gone," She whispered. "Then…" She tiptoed over to her groceries, carefully picking them up. Then, just as fast as the little blond girl on her ball, she started running yelling behind her, "SAYONARA!"

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Lettuce took deep breaths as she stopped running, feeling a little dizzy.

"I think I'm safe now," She panted.

"Lettuce-Chan!"

Lettuce looked up to see Ichigo running towards her, a large smile on her face.

"What's the matter, Ichigo-San?" Lettuce asked concernedly. "A Chimera?"

"No," Ichigo said, shaking her head, her pigtails bouncing. "Ryou sent me out to find you. He was pacing like crazy in the kitchen and growling at everyone." She smirked slightly. "I think he was worried about you."

"N-No, that couldn't be," Lettuce said, blushing hard. "H-He was just wondering when I'd bring back the things Keiichiro-San needs…"

Ichigo laughed with a snort.

"Yeah," She said. "_That_'s what he's worried about…"

Lettuce continued to blush.

"L-let's just go back to the Café," She insisted and Ichigo took some of the bags.

"By the way, Lettuce, where have you been? It's not like you to be so late," Ichigo said. Lettuce sighed as they crossed a bridge.

"At the park," She said. Then she quickly added, "Not ditching work, I promise! But, someone was holding me back."

"Holding you back?" Ichigo asked, her red brow furrowed.

"Yeah, this little elementary school girl started performing some acts and asked for a tip," Lettuce said. "And she was really upset that I couldn't give her any money, since all I have right now belongs to Shirogane-San and Keiichiro-San."

They paused for a moment and Ichigo's brow furrowed further.

"Uh, Lettuce? Was that girl small, blond and really cheerful looking?" She asked.

"What?" Lettuce said, her own brow furrowing. "Do you know her, Ichigo-San?"

"No," Ichigo said, raising her hand to point down the street. "But she's over there."

"What?" Lettuce said, her eyes widening.

Sure enough, when she looked, the blond haired girl was standing there, her fists clenched at her sides. She had a look of seriousness on her face, but as soon as she saw Lettuce, she burst into a grin.

"PUDDING FOUND YOU, NA NO DA!" She shouted. Then her face went back to seriousness and she raised a finger at Lettuce. "You said that you would make Pudding your pupil, na no da! Why did you run away from Pudding, na no da?"

"Waah!" Lettuce exclaimed, trembling slightly, taking steps backwards as the girl approached. She couldn't escape…

Suddenly, from behind them, a large truck horn blared, scaring Ichigo and causing her to jump… and her ears and tail to pop out.

"Waah!" Ichigo exclaimed, dropping her bags to cover her furry ears. "That was loud!"

The girl's eyes widened as she leapt onto the red-head, grabbing at her ears.

"THEY'RE REAL TOO, NA NO DA!" She exclaimed, her eyes twinkling. "A MERMAID AND A CAT-GIRL, NA NO DA! YOU HAVE TO MAKE PUDDING YOUR PUPIL, TOO, KITTY ONEE-CHAN, NA NO DA!"

"Aaaah!" Ichigo exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Lettuce, help!"

"Uh, uh, uh…" Lettuce said, looking around wildly. Then, she pointed at the sky, "OH MY GOSH, LOOK, A HUGE FLYING RADISH!"

Ichigo and the child both looked to the sky, the girl jumping off Ichigo. Lettuce grabbed one of the radishes from her bag and hurled it into the air. Both girls stood fascinated, their eyes wide with child/cat-like wonder. Lettuce grabbed Ichigo's hand and dragged her away.

The radish fell from the sky, landing in the girl's hands.

"It's just a regular radish, na no da. It's not huge, na no da." She muttered, her blond brow furrowed. Then she looked up and saw that the two girls were gone. Her eyes widened. "WAIT UP, NA NO DA!"

The two girls weaved through the crowds, going in circles and zig-zags to avoid the blond child chasing them. But the girl never seemed to tire while their legs started to ache, Lettuce's especially as she had already been running before Ichigo joined the mad chase.

"PLEASE STOP FOLLOWING US!" Lettuce begged with a shout.

"PUDDING WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY MERMAID-CHAN AND KITTY-CHAN, NA NO DA!" The girl shouted in response.

Ichigo yanked on Lettuce and pulled her into an alley, allowing them both a chance to catch their breath.

"D-Did we lose her?" Ichigo asked, panting.

"I-I think so," Lettuce said, wheezing.

"On the plus side, I think I just burned off all calories from the Café food I ate in the past two weeks," Ichigo said with a smile.

"She's so persistent…" Lettuce said, wiping her forehead.

"PUDDING FOUND YOU, NA NO DA!" The little girl shouted as she suddenly popped out of a trashcan, both scaring the girls and making them wonder how she was able to do that.

"CUT IT OUT!" Ichigo begged as the chase began again.

"NO, PUDDING WON'T, NA NO DA!" The girl yelled.

The chase led them through traffic, several parks, and a chess match between two very confused old men. Finally, Ichigo and Lettuce, who had been running and lugging around the heavy bags of groceries, collapsed in front of a bench, too exhausted to even get onto the bench to sit.

"I can't go on anymore… I think I ran off a dress size," Ichigo muttered sleepily.

"I think I ran off two," Lettuce said weakly. She opened her small bag slung over her body and felt around for something. She frowned. "Where is my handkerchief? I know I put it in—"

"Looking for this, na no da?" The girl said, sitting in front of the girls, holding out Lettuce's handkerchief proudly.

"Wha-!" Ichigo exclaimed, wide-eyed. "How did you even get that?"

"Please give it back!" Lettuce begged.

"Here, na no da," The girl said, snatching it out of Lettuce's reach whenever she went to grab it. She smiled widely. "If you want it back, you have to tell me how to become a kitty-eared mermaid, na no da!"

Lettuce and Ichigo both sat there, still panting, sharing a glance with each other. They were both done with this girl's games.

"Who are you?" Ichigo demanded. "Where did you come from?"

The girl briefly looked confused, then she smiled again.

"Fong Pudding," She said. "Just a normal elementary school student, na no da!"

"This isn't normal for a little kid!" Ichigo said angrily. "You want cat ears and to be a mermaid? For what? To make money?"

"We aren't like this to do that," Lettuce said, slowly getting to her feet. She was tired and annoyed. This girl had worn down on her seemingly abundant patience. Pudding stared at Lettuce curiously. "Ichigo-San doesn't like her ears. I don't like my ribbons. But we have them. We didn't choose them, didn't ask for them. We weren't even born with them. You want them because you think they're cute. We have them for a reason, a reason we didn't sign up for or anything like that. We can't tell you how to get them, nor would we ever. The price that comes with them is too much. So be grateful you're normal and you only have human ears and just hair growing out of your head. Be happy with being just that: yourself."

With that, Lettuce picked up her bags again, Ichigo following suit.

"I'm sorry," She said. "But that is the truth. Please do not follow us."

Pudding looked down at the handkerchief on the bench.

"Wait, Onee-Chan!" She called.

"Please, please just stop," Lettuce begged, her eyes squeezed closed.

With that, the girls walked away, leaving Pudding sitting stunned on the bench.

"Were we too hard on her?" Ichigo asked softly.

Lettuce felt guilt pang her heart.

"I—" She gulped. "I don't want to talk about it."

Pudding sat there, not sure what to do. A gust of wind brushed back her blond bangs, revealing the mark that rested on her forehead.

Pudding was completely unaware of its existence.

And unaware that soon her own set of ears might appear all on their own.

* * *

**You're ears are coming, Pudding, just you wait.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen:

In the alternate dimension, the glowing blue orb known as Deep Blue was starting to get annoyed.

"Pie?" The child-like voice called out. "Where are you, Pie?"

"Here."

The voice came before the body of the alien as his body rose into the dimension, already kneeling before his Master, the 'floor' rippling like water as he rose through it.

"Master Deep Blue-Sama, I am here," Pie said, raising his head slightly.

"Report the result of the Chimera Animal infused with a human," Deep Blue ordered in his child's voice. He didn't sound intimidating, fearsome or anything to be revered. But Pie thought all these things of Deep Blue.

The savior of the Cyniclons.

"Yes," Pie said, rising to his feet slowly. "I have analyzed all data that was logged during the battle with the prototype," He explained. "It is very unstable and has flaws that I am currently searching for solutions. However, there seems to be no true, apparent problem. With a few, simple modifications and the perfect spirit, it will be insuperable. I have also begun a search for a compatible match. I have found a few suitable options, but I am searching for more. My end goal is to have plenty of spirits and Chimeras." He smiled darkly as he thought of the green-haired Mew. How she infuriated him… "The vermin will not be able to withstand that amount of power. And then Earth will be ours."

"As it rightfully should," Deep Blue said, a tint of pride in his voice. "Go then. I expect another progress report in the near future."

"Of course," Pie said with a bow before sinking through the 'floor', leaving only ripples behind.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Lettuce and Ichigo entered the Café to find a very annoyed Mint, who in the absence of the other two girls was forced to actually work.

"About time," She snapped, her arms crossed over her chest. "What took you so long?"

"We got held up," Lettuce said.

"And what she means by 'held up' translates to 'got chased around by a mini, blond menace," Ichigo said irritably, dropping her bags in the kitchen, followed by Lettuce. "But we finally got rid of her."

"What happened?" Keiichiro asked.

The girls explained the situation. Keiichiro frowned.

"Funny, I didn't think your ribbons would pop out, Lettuce. Ichigo's ears, yes, but not your ribbons," He said.

"There was this shark puppet and I thought it was real for a moment," Lettuce admitted, blushing some. "I guess the marine animal in me freaked out at that."

"She kept wanting to know how to get the ribbons and cat ears," Ichigo said, rolling her eyes. "I tell ya, that kid's a little weird. She'd do anything for her performance…"

Mint's brow furrowed.

"There's got to be some reason why a small kid would do those sort of things," She said. "I mean, why would a child think having cat ears or being a mermaid would get her more money? And why is she looking for the money to begin with?"

Lettuce and Ichigo's shoulders slumped, feeling guilty for getting upset with the girl. What was her reason for being so desperate to get money?

"Lettuce? Ichigo? Something wrong?" Ryou asked.

"No," Lettuce muttered. "Nothing."

With that, they both depressingly head for the locker room.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Pie watched as the human woman crumpled to the ground of the back alley. He looked at the crystal of a human spirit in his hand.

"This one is not what I desire, either," He said with a snarl, clutching his fist around it. "The spirit required for this Chimera needs to be pure…" He glanced down at the unconscious woman. "However, this will have to be sufficient for now."

With that, he leapt into the air, disappearing into the night.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Lettuce couldn't stop thinking about the girl from the park. She absentmindedly did her chores, went to school and worked in the Café.

"Lettuce, are you alright?" Ichigo asked. Lettuce didn't answer, just absentmindedly swept.

"Lettuce."

She glanced up at Ryou, who had his hands tucked in his pockets. Then he held out one hand for her.

"Come with me."

Lettuce took Ryou's hand and let him lead her down stairs to the basement, where Ryou's 'lab' was, and he told her to sit at a table. Ryou then placed a cup of tea in front of her and a piece of her favorite Café Mew Mew dessert, key-lime pie drizzled with white chocolate.

"What's the deal?" Ryou asked.

"I can't stop thinking about the girl," Lettuce muttered. "I feel so bad that I snapped at her like I did… but I was just so tired. And I keep wondering why she was so desperate for the money. The way she tracked me down for a tip, that couldn't just be feeling cheated, could it?"

"I don't know," Ryou said, sipping his coffee. "But I do know this. You regret the words you said. So you should already know what to do."

"Huh?" Lettuce asked, her brow furrowed.

"Like I said, you know what to do," Ryou said. "You just need to act on it."

Lettuce thought for a moment and smiled with a nod. Ryou grinned.

"That's my girl," He said, tipping his mug towards her before taking a sip. Lettuce turned scarlet and quickly shoved the key-lime pie in her mouth.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

That evening, Pudding walked on her ball around the fountain of the park. Unexpectedly, she fell off, hitting the ground, landing on her stomach.

"Owie…" She muttered. "That hurt, na no da."

She sat up and felt her head and groaned.

"Still no kitty ears or mermaid ribbons, na no da," She said sadly. She shook her head. "Pudding won't give up yet, na no da!"

Her shoulders slumped some.

"But how is Pudding going to get them, na no da?" She muttered.

"Oh, little human girl…"

"Huh?" Pudding muttered, her brow furrowing as she looked over her shoulder, standing up as she did so, seeing a tall, older-boy with messy dark gray/lavender hair and long, pointed ears floating in mid-air.

"So," Pie said. "It is ears that you desire. And it is ears that I can give you."

"Who are you, na no da?" Pudding asked, her eyes wide and wary.

"Consider me," He paused for a moment both for dramatic effect and to recall the human term he had heard. He gave her a small smirk. "Your guardian angel."

"That can't be, na no da!" Pudding protested. "Angels don't have ugly faces, na no da!"

Pie's mouth fell into an 'o', his eyes narrowed and his shoulders slumped. This girl was already wearing on his patience.

"Do you want ears or not?" He demanded in a growl.

"As long as they don't look like yours, mister, na no da," Pudding said, shaking her head slightly, her arms folded over her chest.

Pie's right ear twitched, as did his right eye, his annoyance shining through his usual emotionless demeanor.

This was not a good sign.

Pie was fuming as he raised his hand. Pudding's eyes widened and she took a step backwards, preparing to flee as his hand started to glow.

"Insolent fool!" He snarled. "For your rudeness, I will take your Spirit!"

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

In the darkening twilight, Lettuce paused as she walked past the park from the day before.

"I wonder if that girl is here," She muttered to herself. Then she spotted the small figure, the orange she wore reflected off the streetlamp.

But something was wrong, she could see that even before Mini-Mew popped out screeching, "ALIEN! ALIEN!"

Lettuce could only watch as the girl was thrown into the air, held there by some force radiating from Pie's hand. His cold eyes only stared up at her pained face in indifference.

"This would be much less painful if you would stop fighting and give me your spirit," Pie said in an almost bored tone, his large ears tuning out the girl's panicked screams.

Lettuce felt herself tremble with anger, her eyes narrow at Pie.

"Mew Mew Lettuce, Metamorpho-sis!" She hissed.

Pie, oblivious to what was going on behind him, smirked as the spirit finally began to come towards his hand.

"This is the best spirit I have found yet," He said. "With this spirit, I will capture Earth in the name of Deep Blue!"

"Don't count on that!"

Pie turned just in time to get smacked in the face by a large ball, toppling over with a cry of shock, his eyes wide with confusion and surprise.

Pudding fell to the ground on her knees, panting. When she looked up, she saw a beautiful older girl with long green hair in a green dress glaring at the alien, who sat in the air with a snarl.

"Pie-San, how could you?" Mew Lettuce said, her eyes hard and her lips curled into a frown. "Attacking a small, harmless child? Isn't that a cowardly thing to do? I will not let this pass by so easily!"

She put a hand on her hip and the other hand in the air.

"For the future of Earth, I will give my all!" She declared.

Then, Pudding saw it.

The ribbons emerging from the girl's scalp, twisting and curling around her.

Pudding gasped.

"Mermaid Onee-Chan, na no da!" She gasped.

"This is a change of usual events," Pie said, now on his feet and floating in the air, the ribbons curling and unfurling behind him. His eyes were just as hard as Lettuce's. "You came to me this time, Sashimi."

"I didn't come for you!" Lettuce snapped.

The corner of Pie's mouth curled into that infuriating hint of a smirk yet again. Lettuce was really starting to hate that and was thinking she preferred it when he kept his face blank.

"You still came," He said tauntingly. He then became serious again. "Did you know that only a few spirits could become Chimera Animals? They can only be used for such when the spirit is pure. Unsurprisingly, there are very few pure spirits on this planet full of wretched humans. However, her spirit happens to be the purest of them all. Which is why I will have it."

"Not happening!" Lettuce yelled.

The hint of a smirk was back as his eyes lit up.

"I was not seeking your permission," He said, leaping for Pudding, whom Lettuce snatched up under her arm and started running with, her legs still aching from her marathon the day before.

"As Pudding thought, na no da!" Pudding said happily as Lettuce ran. "Onee-Chan is amazing, na no da!"

"Please be quiet, Pudding-San!" Lettuce begged, a glance over her shoulder telling her what she already knew. That no matter how fast she ran, Pie was still faster as he flew behind her, hot on her trail.

"I will not let you escape!" Pie yelled, throwing glowing balls at her. Lettuce ducked the explosions as best she could, but she knew she couldn't keep being so lucky.

"Onee-Chan! In front, na no da!" Pudding said as Lettuce looked over her shoulder. Lettuce turned her head and grinned at seeing Mew Mint and Mew Ichigo just a few feet away.

"Mew Mint-San! Mew Ichigo-San!" Lettuce cried with delight.

Mint called her bow to her hand then drew back the string.

"RIBBON… MINT ECHO!" She called, letting loose her arrow at Pie.

Lettuce ducked with a squeak and Pie flew higher to avoid the arrow, all getting the backlash of the explosion, causing Lettuce to trip and both her and Pudding to bounce across the stone pathway with cries and squeaks of excitement, pain and fear, the latter two in particular coming from Lettuce while the former was only given by Pudding.

"Ow!" Lettuce muttered, rubbing her rear-end, that she knew was going to be bruised by morning. Pudding was unharmed and rather excited by it all.

"That was fun, na no da! Can we do it again, na no da?" She asked exuberantly.

"NO!" Lettuce exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Are you two okay?" Ichigo asked as she and Mint helped both girls stand up.

"Guess so," Lettuce said, still rubbing her sore bottom some.

"Everyone is here now, it seems," Pie said, floating back down to the ground. "This shall make getting that spirit harder than before. But, perhaps that will not be the case." With that, he pulled out a small crystal and a parasite, bringing them together.

A large lizard-like creature with maracas appeared, grinning widely and chanting something about samba dancing.

"What is that?" Mint demanded, pointing at it with wide-eyes.

"A lizard, I guess?" Ichigo said, wrinkling her nose. Mint shut her eyes, shaking her head.

"I _hate_ lizards!" She declared.

"Then please stay with Pudding-San. Pie-San wants her spirit to make a Chimera and we need to protect her," Lettuce said.

"I'll take babysitting over touching that slimy, scaly thing any day," Mint said, curling her lip in disgust at the Chimera.

Lettuce nodded.

"Mew Ichigo-San, come on!" She said, running towards the Chimera.

"Right, nya!" Ichigo said, running after Lettuce.

"Wait, Onee-Chan!" Pudding yelled, wide-eyed.

The porpoise and cat Mews tried to attack the lizard.

"STRAWBERRY BELL!" Ichigo called, the bell appearing in her hand. However, before she could use it, it was knocked away by the lizard Chimera.

"LETTUSTANETS!" Lettuce called, but those were knocked away too, the tail hitting Lettuce and sending her skidding across the pavement.

"Lettuce!" Ichigo cried with wide-eyes.

Meanwhile, Mint was trying to restrain Pudding.

"It's dangerous!" Mint said. "Stay over here, okay kid?"

"Wait, na no da!" Pudding called to the other girls.

The lizard hit both Lettuce and Ichigo, sending them rolling across the ground, leering over them.

"What do we do now?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know," Lettuce said. "We need a way to get it to stay in one place, no way to knock away our weapons."

"How are we going to do that?" Ichigo demanded. Lettuce remained speechless.

The lizard-Chimera raised its maracas.

"SAMBA!" It sneered threateningly.

Pudding broke free of Mint and ran, not stopping for a split second until she was in-front of Lettuce and Ichigo.

"No!" Pudding yelled, throwing her arms wide.

The blast from the Chimera hit the girl… or didn't really as it turned out, as a large, stone rose up out of the ground, blocking the blast.

"What's with the stone?" Ichigo asked, blinking a few times.

"Is this heaven, na no da?" Pudding muttered.

Lettuce looked up and her eyes widened.

"Pudding-San!" She said with a gasp. "Your ears!"

"What about them, na no da?" Pudding asked, her eyes still closed.

"Pudding-San, what you needed wasn't cat ears like Ichigo-San, or ribbons like me. You didn't need a magic spell or do anything to get that sort of thing," Lettuce said, smiling. "You just needed to be yourself. Your perfect, energetic, abnormal self."

Pudding's eyes opened and she moved her hands to the sides of her head and her brown-sugar eyes widened at feeling the orange fuzzy ears that were there.

"WAAAAH!" She exclaimed. "PUDDING HAS EARS, NA NO DA!"

She turned to Lettuce and Ichigo with watery eyes.

"PUDDING GOT CAT EARS, NA NO DA!" She said excitedly.

The girls' smiles grew broader.

"Not cat ears," Lettuce said. "Those are monkey ears. No other human in the world has those. Those are all yours, Pudding-San. And I think it's a good fit for you."

"Look at her forehead!" Ichigo exclaimed. Pudding crossed her eyes upward, trying to see what Ichigo was pointing at. There, on her forehead, was a glowing mark with two monkey tails curved together to form a heart. "She's the fourth member! With the ears and mark, there's no way she can't be!"

Suddenly, Mini-Mew appeared above them, opening his mouth. Out popped another golden pendant, and it landed in Pudding's cupped hands.

"I think so," Lettuce said with a nod. "Mew Pudding-San, just act on what comes naturally."

Pudding smiled before calling out:

"MEW MEW PUDDING, METAMORPHO-SIS!"

She brought the pendant to her lips and gave it a quick kiss before moving the stone to her forehead. In a flash of light, she disappeared.

She reappeared wearing an golden yellow sleeveless jumpsuit that cut off short on her thighs with legwarmers and soft shoes. She had orange fingerless gloves and yellow armbands, choker and garter around her left leg. She also had a curling orange tail to match her ears.

"A monkey?" Pie said, his arms folded over his chest as he scrutinized Mew Pudding. She was a child, more so than the others. What threat did she possess? It was time to find out. "Samba, attack!"

The Chimera leapt for the girls.

"Pudding can feel the power surging within her, na no da!" Pudding said, grinning, her hands in fists. She looked at the other girls briefly. "Leave it to Pudding, na no da!"

With that, she was off, leaping over and around the Chimera, confusing and angering it.

"Those aren't going to hit Pudding, na no da!" Pudding said with a slight giggle as the Chimera went after her with its maracas.

Finally, the Chimera was ready to get in a good, once-and-for-all strike. But then it looked confused. Where did she go?

"Pudding's here, na no da!" Pudding called from above, making the Chimera look up.

The monkey girl flipped in midair while calling out,

"Pudding Rings!"

In her hand appeared a large ring that when she brought it behind her back and hit it against her rear-end in a playful manner, it separated into two rings. She grinned.

"RIBBON PUDDING RING… INFERNO!" She cried.

Suddenly, the Chimera was incased in flan, immobile.

"Mew Lettuce Onee-Chan, na no da!" Pudding called, still grinning.

"Okay!" Lettuce said, a bright smile on her face. She brought her arms over her chest, the gemstone on her bracelet glowing.

"Lettustanets!" Once they were in her hands, she clicked them before bringing them together above her head. "RIBBON… LETTUCE RUSH!"

The flan dissolved and the Chimera separated, Mini-Mew quickly collecting the spirit and parasite.

"You did it, na no da!" Pudding cheered.

"All thanks to Mew Pudding!" Lettuce said, hugging the girl.

"I was very confident in my Chimera today," Pie said, his eyes betraying his anger while his face remained blank. "But it appears that I will have to further my attempts. Spirit-Chimera Experiment 002, failure due to… unforeseen circumstances. Data has been logged for entry and flaws have been noted. You will not defeat my next experiment, mark my words, little Mews."

With that, he disappeared.

"AND DON'T COME BACK!" Ichigo yelled, pointing at the spot in the air where Pie had been just seconds before. There was a slight pause. "He'll be back, won't he?"

"Yep." The other three girls said together. Then they all laughed.

The next day, Pudding stood proudly in her new orange and yellow Café uniform, looking extremely adorable.

"What kind of monkey is Pudding-San?" Lettuce asked Ryou.

"Golden Lion Tamarin," He answered, his arms over his chest. He took a deep breath. "Can't say it doesn't fit her."

That was an understatement.

Just as Lettuce was getting hopeful that the workload at the Café was going to get easier all around, Pudding's performance antics proved her wrong.

Pudding rode her ball around the room, spinning plates as she went. She did her flips and tricks and, for better or for worse, breathed fire.

As Ichigo and Mint chased the monkey girl around the room, the latter laughing excitedly and the older two begging her to stop and calm down some, Lettuce could only sigh happily.

She wouldn't want Pudding any other way.

Ryou and Keiichiro stood in the doorway, watching the chaos.

"Four down," Keiichiro murmured.

"One to go," Ryou said.

"You gave it to her already, didn't you?" Keiichiro asked.

Ryou gave a short nod.

"Was that… wise? Letting her find out on her own?" Keiichiro asked softly.

"Ichigo did, that turned out alright," Ryou said.

"We didn't set up for Ichigo to discover on her own," Keiichiro reminded him. "Can she handle it?"

"Lettuce will be fine," Ryou said, watching the green-haired girl try to stop an argument between Mint and Ichigo. "She has handled everything so far amazingly. Couldn't ask for anything better. She's amazing. Wonderful. Not to mention kind of cute."

Keiichiro chuckled, smirking some.

"That wasn't the _her_ I was referring to," He said. With that, he walked away, leaving Ryou with his cheeks tinged pink.

* * *

**Oh, what's this? What mischief has Ryou gotten into? What will happen next?**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen:

It was a nice, quiet, peaceful evening. A couple took a stroll through a park, holding hands and smiling.

That was when their pleasant date was interrupted a large fish-creature. They clung to each other out of fear, the man preparing to shield his girlfriend with his body.

That was when the purple strip of light unfurled overhead, striking the creature and causing the fish and jelly-fish parasite to separate.

Stunned, the couple looked up to see a tall figure of a girl standing on top of a lamppost, her shadow outlined by the bright, full moon behind her. Without a word, she leapt away, disappearing into the night.

Pie frowned from where he hid in the wood-line, his cold, dark eyes narrowing.

"Pest Number Five has entered the game," He said, his rumbling voice mistaken for thunder by the still-stunned couple.

But, perhaps, unlike the other four, this one might fall faster…

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Ichigo ran into Café Mew Mew, her eyes wide, ears out and flat against her skull, and one of her pigtails coming loose as she screamed,

"EMERGENCY, NYA! EMERGENCY, NYA!"

"Ichigo-San?" Lettuce said, looking up from the table she was cleaning as Pudding bounced over. "What's the matter?"

"Take a look at this!" Ichigo said, slamming down a newspaper on the table. The three girls crowded around.

"'The Mystery of the City: A pretty girl who fights monsters at midnight'," Lettuce read.

"WHAT!?" Lettuce and Pudding exclaimed together.

"Someone must have taken a picture of one of us!" Ichigo said fretfully. She squeezed her eye shut, tears leaking out. "Aoyama-Kun can't find out about me being Mew Ichigo now! I'm not ready for him to know now! I was going to wait for us to be a couple a little while longer before I told him!"

_And if Mew Lettuce's identity is revealed, I go back to being picked on,_ Lettuce thought with a frown. Since she had started hanging out with the Three Ayas, the teasing and name-calling and physical bullying had stopped from the other kids. However, it did come with the price of practically being the slave of the three pretty, popular girls. But she gladly paid the price for the protection it gave her.

However, that would be gone the moment Mew Lettuce was revealed to be Lettuce Midorikawa, a meek, nerdy, book-loving girl. Lettuce found it bitterly ironic that she could stand up to fierce alien-created monsters that wanted nothing else but to kill her and the rest of her team, but she couldn't even face her own species when ganged up on.

"Never fear, Onee-Chan, na no da!" Pudding said, a smirk on her lips and a finger in the air. "The girl in the picture isn't any of us, na no da!"

"Eh?" Lettuce and Ichigo said together, each raising an eyebrow.

"What makes you say that, Pudding-San?" Lettuce asked.

"Minna…" Pudding said dramatically before whipping out a picture. "LOOK AT THIS, NA NO DA!"

Lettuce and Ichigo blinked in surprise and horror at seeing that the picture was of them and Mint standing together, all in their swimsuits. Two weeks before, Lettuce had won a contest that invited her and her friends to a spa in the mountains. However, there was a miscommunication, as the trip was for a year later… after the spa was actually _built_. Instead, the girls spent the afternoon in their swimsuits in the natural hot-spring that the spa was being built around. After the building crew arrived, the girls had left, but not before befriending a boy who looked suspiciously like Ichigo's boyfriend with a similar name and interests (Ichigo later mentioned on the train ride home that Aoyama-Kun was adopted, and they wondered if these boys could be twins separated at birth) and fighting another one of Pie's Spirit Chimeras.

"When did you take that picture?" Ichigo asked, not remembering anyone bringing a camera at all.

Pudding leapt onto the table and sat on it cross-legged, bringing out a long pair of scissors.

"What are those for, Pudding-San?" Lettuce asked, her brow furrowed.

They then watched as Pudding carefully cut the picture so that the Lettuce, Mint and Ichigo in the picture were all neatly out.

"The girl in the picture is tall and curvy, na no da," Pudding explained. She put the Ichigo picture next to the one in the newspaper. "Ichigo Onee-Chan doesn't have any curves, na no da."

Ichigo pouted as her cheeks turned red with anger.

Pudding then put the Lettuce outline near the picture.

"On the other hand, Lettuce Onee-Chan is too curvy, na no da," She continued.

Lettuce blushed red, looking down at herself, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"And Mint Onee-Chan is too short, na no da," Pudding said. "And as Pudding is shorter than Mint Onee-Chan, it definitely isn't her, na no da."

"So, I have, like, no curves at all?" Ichigo demanded, twisting and turning to see if it was true. "Does that mean I don't have hips?"

"Is being called curvy a nice way of being told you're fat?" Lettuce asked worriedly, looking to both girls for answers.

"No, it's not," Ichigo answered, studying the article. "That's odd. We haven't fought anything in this area. So who could it—" She paused and turned to Lettuce. "You don't think?" She said.

"The fifth companion!" Lettuce and Ichigo said together.

"Eh? What's all the fuss about?"

The girls turned to see Mint enter, an eyebrow arched and a fist on her hip, her bag hanging from her other hand.

"What's going on?" Mint asked again.

"It's the fifth member, na no da!" Pudding cried, pointing at the newspaper. "We found her, na no da!"

"Technically, we haven't yet, Pudding-San," Lettuce said. "We know she's activated her powers. But we don't know her name, where she is or even what she looks like."

"What are you talking about?" Mint demanded. Pudding grabbed the newspaper and shoved it in Mint's face. Suddenly, the dancer's eyes widened and her mouth started opening and closing like a fish's, some incomprehensible sounds coming out of her mouth. Finally, she got out, "This… This person is…"

"Do you know her, Mint?" Ichigo asked.

"No!" Mint insisted, taking steps backward. "No, I don't know at—!" She bumped into a table, squeaked as she dropped her bag, which sent a small book skidding across the floor. On the cover was a beautiful, purple-haired girl. Mint's eyes widened and she instantly snatched up the book, holding it to her chest protectively.

"What's that, na no da?" Pudding asked, trying to get a look, though Mint kept turning away. "Can Pudding see, na no da?"

"No!" Mint snapped, trying to get away from Pudding, and failing to do so. She spun all around, Pudding leaping after her, trying to get her hands on the book. Finally, she succeeded and Mint just spun faster and faster until Pudding ended up flying across the room. She landed into Lettuce and Ichigo, a little dizzy, but grinning.

For in her hands was the book.

"Pudding got it, na no da!" She said victoriously. Mint turned white with horror.

"What is it?" Ichigo said, looking down, her scarlet eyebrows furrowed. "A idol photo book?"

"There's nothing wrong with that!" Mint insisted haughtily.

"Why do you have this, Mint-San?" Lettuce asked curiously as Pudding flipped through it.

"I-I bought it on a whim," Mint said, her voice shaky.

Suddenly, Pudding's eyes gleamed and she brought out her scissors again, going after one of the pages in the book.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ONEE-SAMA?!" Mint screamed, her eyes wide with horror, wincing at every snip. Pudding then lifted up an outline of the girl in the idol book. "Onee-Sama…" She whimpered.

"Look, na no da!" Pudding said, holding up the magazine and bringing the outline of the model to the outline of the mysterious and allusive teammate. "A perfect match, na no da!"

"That's Fujiwara Zakuro-San!" Lettuce said, her eyes wide with realization as she got a good look at the book. "She was there, at the exhibit that day, wasn't she?"

"Yeah, she was!" Ichigo exclaimed. "I remember now! For some reason, those memories were so fuzzy before…"

"EHHHHH!?" Mint exclaimed, her palms going to her cheeks. "What is this? This silhouette that looks like a marble muse? The slender waistline and the perfect hips and posture? The hair tousled ever so elegantly—"

"Eh, how long is this going to go on for?" Ichigo asked in a hiss as Mint continued to ramble on, her eyes shaped like hearts and a wide smile on her face, her hands clasped in front of her chest.

"This is what it's like when Ichigo Onee-Chan talks about Aoyama Onii-Chan, na no da," Pudding informed her.

"Pudding-San…" Lettuce said chidingly, but really couldn't disagree with her. Ichigo looked confused for a moment, then she sighed.

"I am so sorry, minna-san," She said, bowing her hand.

Finally, Mint got to the end of her rambling,

"This is indeed Zakuro," Mint said, breathing the girl's name, her eyes getting watery with happiness. "Yes, Zakuro Onee-Sama is our fifth member!"

"Thank you for summing up what we had already figured out," Ichigo said as she and the other girls sweat-dropped some.

"Fujiwara Zakuro. Born September 6th. A Virgo. Age: sixteen years old," Mint continued dreamily, knowing this information by heart. "Height: 172 cm. Weight: 49 kg. Fluent in Japanese, English, French, German and Chinese. Since suddenly appearing in the modeling world three years ago, she has gathered much attention as both model and international actress, already having appeared in two American movies, made guest appearances in three different British television shows, and has been in four Japanese movies, starring in one while being the co-star two others, and has appeared in six Japanese television shows. With her dark opal-like hair, sapphire eyes that give a mysterious glitter, and skin as white and flawless as platinum…" Mint sighed contently. "She truly is the best member we've been looking for! The true soldier that will save the Earth!"

"What are the rest of us, chop liver?" Ichigo grumbled, a tick mark forming on her forehead.

"That's right!" Mint said, though they weren't quite sure if she was still talking to herself or answering Ichigo's question. They all hoped for the former. "Why didn't I notice sooner?"

Ryou laughed as he and Keiichiro entered the room.

"So even high and mighty Mint adores idols like the rest of the commoners?" He teased, causing Mint to turn red with both embarrassment and anger.

"You're wrong!" Mint yelled at Ryou, trying to get in his face. From his extra foot and a half towering over her, Ryou just smirked down at her furious face. "Zakuro Onee-Sama is different!"

"Perhaps it is a good thing that someone Mint idolizes is one of the team," Keiichiro said. "It definitely is an odd coincidence, though."

Ryou shrugged.

"Whatever it is, you girls need to go check it out," He said, folding his arms over his chest.

"Huh?" They said together.

"How do we do that, na no da?" Pudding asked.

"There is an audition calling tomorrow afternoon for an American and Japanese musical production that Fujiwara, and Fujiwara will be there to help make selections," Ryou explained.

"Whoa, wait, audition?" Lettuce said, her eyes going wide. "What exactly are we supposed to do?"

"Dance, sing, act, do duck calls, don't care," Ryou said as he headed out of the room. "Just be there."

Lettuce gulped. Ichigo could sing and perform rhythmic gymnastics, as she was on her school's gymnastics team. Mint had her years of ballet, having started dancing on pointe at just ten years old. Pudding was a one-monkey variety show on a sugar rush.

Lettuce, on the other hand, was a sitting duck. Her talents included solving math equations and being able to read a hundred pages of a book in an hour. This was probably not what any director would be looking for.

_Guess I'm going to have to work on my mallard impersonation,_ Lettuce thought depressingly.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

"Another one interferes with our plans?" The childlike voice of Deep Blue hissed as Pie knelt in-front of the glowing orb.

"Hai," Pie said grimly.

"And she is the last member?" Deep Blue demanded.

_She had better be,_ Pie thought irritably. _I cannot deal with one more of those annoying human pests._

"I believe so," Pie answered Deep Blue. "However, the four gathered members have not made contact with this one yet. She is working on her own. I believe that while they are divided, I can deal with this one with ease and swiftness. I have already begun taking the proper measures for making sure that this divergence stays such."

"Then put your plans into motion," Deep Blue said. "Report to me when success or failure is determined."

"Yes, Deep Blue-Sama." Pie said before disappearing.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

The next afternoon, Lettuce stood with Mint and Ichigo on a stage filled with other girls their age. They all wore leotards and soft shoes. Some, like Mint, wore toe-shoes, and some wore tap shoes or other kind of dancing shoes.

"Ryou-San sure thought of something wild to see if Fujiwara-San is our fifth member," Lettuce muttered.

"If I pass," Mint said, smiling slightly. "I'm going to get the part of Zakuro Onee-Sama's little sister!"

"Uh, is her character even supposed to have a little sister, Mint-San?" Lettuce asked, her brow furrowed as she glanced at the small numbers tapped to their leotards that also bore the kanji for 'background dancers and singers'.

"I can't believe it, nya!" Ichigo said dreamily, her eyes wide and starry, one little kitty fang poking out. "I'm doing an audition… for a musical, nya!"

Mint sighed and reached over, pinching Ichigo's bottom and causing the cat girl to squeak in pain.

"Zakuro Onee-Sama is here," Mint said haughtily as Ichigo rubbed where she got pinched, glaring at the ballerina. "I will not allow you to screw up in her presence."

"But, but, but, if I do pass," Ichigo said, still excited and having dropped her glare. "I'LL BE FAMOUS, NYA! I'll gather attention via a commercial, release a CD, and in no time at all, become a star, nya! And, and…"

Ichigo then went on to describe a (fantasy) conversation between her and Aoyama-Kun, on some beach at sunset while both were in their school uniforms for some odd reason. Aoyama would tell her that she is a big star now, that he wasn't good enough for her. Ichigo would then call him a baka and throw her arms around him as she cried, saying that even if she was a celebrity, her heart belonged to only him and, as seagulls chirped all around them, they kissed.

Ichigo held her face in her hands, her eyes closed, swaying slightly as she thought of Aoyama's lips pressed against hers. Mint smacked Ichigo on the back of the head, causing the cat girl to come out of her daydream.

"Be serious!" Mint snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

Before Ichigo could do anything to retort, the audition announcer called for their attention, to the relief of Lettuce who was wondering how she was going to have to break up yet another fight between the bird and cat girls.

The girls watched as the judges entered the room as the cameras flashed, each taking their seats. Attention seemed to be focused on one man in particular.

"That must be the director," Mint murmured. "Junyano Koshiba."

Lettuce suddenly froze.

"Uh, isn't the one known for being strict and making new actresses cry?" She asked, suddenly really wondering if this was a good idea…

The silence she got from Ichigo and Mint, who each bit their lips, gave her the answer.

"And now, our special guest," The announcer said. "The leading actress of this musical, Fujiwara Zakuro-San!"

She entered quietly. The flashing of the cameras was the only thing that gave away that she entered the room. She wore knee-high heeled black boots, a short black skirt, a yellow shirt underneath a black jacket. She also wore black sunglasses over her eyes and a silver cross necklace gleamed from her neck. Wordlessly, she took her place at the end of the table, sitting down and folding her arms over her chest.

"That's her?" Ichigo whispered.

"She's the real one!" Mint squealed softly, her hands clasped together under her chin, her eyes twinkling. "Oh, Zakuro Onee-Sama…"

"We will now begin the audition!" The announcer proclaimed.

All the girls went backstage, all pitying the girl who had the number one taped to her leotard, but the girl with the blond braid just gulped and entered the stage with a smile.

The three mutated girls milled around, keeping to themselves. Finally, they heard,

"Number Fifteen! Aizawa Mint-San!"

Mint did a quick check of her toe shoes and then walked onto the stage gracefully.

"Hai," She said, a charming smile on her face and eyes full of determination, though with a hint of fear. Her brown eyes instantly drifted towards Zakuro and she took a deep breath.

"Mint-San seems nervous," Lettuce said as one judge asked her some questions regarding her ballet training.

"She's performed many times, but never in front of her idol before," Ichigo said with a slight frown. "I'm the same way. I've done countless gymnastics routines, but when Aoyama-Kun came to see me the first time, I froze up."

Just as Mint was getting her feet in position, about to raise her arms, they all heard from backstage,

"EMERGENCY! THERE'S A FLAME-THROWING BABY MONKEY IN HERE!"

There was screaming from backstage and everyone at the judge's table froze, and Mint stood there with wide-eyes.

"A Chimera?" Ichigo asked Lettuce with wide-eyes.

"No, Ichigo-San, it's worse than that!" Lettuce said, her own eyes widening with realization. She grabbed Ichigo's shoulders, shaking her slightly. "Who did we lock in the Café Mew Mew supply closet before coming here so that she couldn't follow us?"

Ichigo gulped.

"Uh oh," She said.

They both screamed and ducked as suddenly big bursts of flames came at them.

Pudding leapt onto the stage, still breathing fire.

She did a flip, landing in front of Mint, who looked very freaked out.

"How mean of you to leave Pudding behind just because she's an elementary school kid, na no da!" Pudding yelled at Mint. "And Ryou Onii-Chan already told Pudding that it was Mint Onee-Chan's idea to lock Pudding in the supply closet, na no da! And for the record, there was no candy wonderland in the closet, just like Narnia, na no da! Only dust bunnies and a spider, na no da!"

"Pudding!" Ichigo yelled, starting to get to her feet, her eyes wide. "Pudding, get over here now!"

"Pudding wants to attend the audition, too, na no da!" Pudding yelled, stamping her feet and waving her hands in the air. With that being declared, she breathed fire again to the horror of the judges. Zakuro was the only one who sat there unperturbed.

"Pudding-San!" Lettuce yelled as she and Ichigo jumped onto the stage, chasing Pudding as she ran around.

"Pudding! No one wants to see you breathe fire!" Ichigo yelled, leaping onto the girl.

Mint turned to the judges and pointed over her shoulder at the three girls, the older two unsuccessfully trying to hold down the younger, rolling and tumbling on the ground with cries, squeaks and grunts.

"For the official record, I have never seen these girls in my life before today," Mint said.

Pudding slipped out of Ichigo's arms, leaping back to center stage.

"Pudding can do lots of acts, na no da!" She declared as she started spinning plates that appeared out of nowhere.

"Pudding-San, not here!" Lettuce begged.

"Then how about this, na no da?" She said, wheeling out a large gong, holding a stick. "Pudding'll hit this continuously, na no da!" With that, she started banging on the gong, causing everyone to cover their ears.

"PUDDING, CUT IT OUT!" Ichigo yelled over the noise, lowering her hands from the side of her head, trying to jump on the girl only to smack to the floor.

"Pudding wants to get auditioned too, na no da!" Pudding yelled at Ichigo, who was still flat on the floor where she had face-planted it.

"Enough, Pudding-San!" Lettuce said.

[CUT IT OUT!]

Everyone froze again and turned to the director, who was fuming as he glared at all four girls on stage.

_Oh, Ryou-San, this is without a doubt the worst idea you have ever come up with,_ Lettuce thought as she stared fearfully at the furious man with wide-eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen:

Everyone stood frozen as the director demanded something in English, which the girls couldn't understand, but were scared nonetheless. While one man apologized and tried to calm the director, another yelled at the girls in Japanese,

"What are you girls doing? You made Mr. Koshiba mad!"

Lettuce and Ichigo clung to each other.

"We're sorry!" They said together, knees shaking.

"The audition is canceled!" The man who spoke Japanese declared.

They heard the other girls backstage whisper, and one even began to cry. Lettuce, taking a deep breath, stepped forward, bowing.

"We are so sorry," She said. "But the only ones at fault are Pudding-San and myself."

"And me too!" Ichigo said as she got Pudding, who looked upset for both getting in trouble and upsetting the other girls.

"If we leave, will you continue to audition the other girls?" Lettuce asked. "Please, let Aizawa-San and the other girls audition. We are the troublemakers. The others are blameless."

"No! No, everyone goes home!" Another man said, his face angry.

Then, they heard a soft voice say,

"May I?"

Everyone turned to look at Zakuro as she rose to her feet, a small smile on her face.

She removed her sunglasses, her eyes twinkling as she turned to the director. She sat on the edge of the table and the two conversed in English.

Finally, Zakuro giggled slightly.

"Mine?" She brought her hand up to cover her mouth. "Okay, I will."

The director nodded, pleased.

Zakuro stood.

"Mr. Koshiba will continue the audition," She said.

"Really?" One of the Japanese men said, his eyes wide.

"Yes," Zakuro said. "However, he would like me to show my own dancing."

The four girls on stage breathed a sigh of relief and the girls backstage got excited.

"Isn't that great, Mint-San?" Lettuce said, turning to Mint. "The auditions are going to continue, and we're going to watch Zakuro-San dance!"

"It's like… a dream come true!" Mint said, her eyes twinkling as she smiled.

Within minutes, Zakuro was on the stage in tights, leotard, legwarmers and soft shoes, a cut-off t-shirt over her leotard. The spotlight shone down on her and the music began, as did her dance. Everyone watched in awe of her beautiful, fluid movements. Lettuce smiled as she saw Zakuro's face light up. That was a different smile from the one that graced magazine covers and billboard advertisements. This was a much brighter smile. She glanced at Mint, who watched with wide eyes and an even wider smile. The smile on Zakuro's face now was the exact same as Mint's when she danced and watched her idol dance.

Zakuro stepped offstage on the other side and picked up a water-bottle. Before Lettuce or Ichigo could stop her, Mint ran across the stage to the other side, where Zakuro stood. They could only watch as Zakuro's face became hard again as Mint spoke, finally her eyes flickering with some fear before becoming cold again. Zakuro said something to Mint which caused her to freeze and her shoulders to slump. Zakuro turned on her heel, her hair whipping behind her as she walked away.

When Mint rejoined her teammates, it was clear that her feelings were hurt.

"Mint-San, do you want to continue with the—" Lettuce started to ask.

"Let's leave," She whispered, not meeting anyone's eyes. "Now."

The three other girls gazed at each other sadly, but nodded and went to gather their things.

By the time they got back to the Café, it was early evening.

"So, you all came back without taking the audition?" Ryou said, his brow furrowed.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, looking over at Mint, who stared sadly out the heart-shaped window. "Mint won't tell us what Zakuro said, but it was kinda clear by her attitude it was 'get lost'."

Ryou shrugged indifferently.

"Well, I guess it isn't super popular Fujiwara Zakuro then," He said, slightly smirking. "Thank goodness. If she's that big of a cold, heartless bratty diva—"

"Ryou-San," Lettuce interrupted. She nodded her head towards Mint's cup of tea, that remained untouched since Keiichiro poured it. It was a clear sign that Mint truly was distressed. "Don't say those things. Please."

Ryou looked a little ashamed.

"Gomen-Nasai, Lettuce-San," He murmured. Ichigo frowned at him, though he didn't see this. Why was he always like this around Lettuce?

"Mint Onee-Chan?" Pudding said a little shyly. Mint turned to Pudding, who looked ashamed.

"Pudding is very, very sorry for misbehaving at the audition, na no da," Pudding said. Mint gave her a small smile.

"It's not your fault, Pudding," She said before turning to look out the window again.

"I wonder if she really isn't a member," Ichigo said with a sigh.

"If she isn't, then who is in that picture?" Lettuce asked.

That was the question that couldn't be answered.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

"Lettuce, Lettuce! Wake up, wake up!"

Lettuce opened her eyes and fumbled for her glasses, frowning at Mini-Mew in the dark.

"What's wrong?" She muttered.

"The fifth member! The fifth member! She's in danger! Danger!"

Lettuce's eyes widened and she grabbed her glowing pendant.

Lettuce didn't remember running, transforming, or being joined by Mew Ichigo, Mew Mint and Mew Pudding. All she remembered was stopping in front of the large church. The bells echoed throughout the night, chiming midnight.

"This must be where she is!" Lettuce said.

"It's creepy!" Ichigo said, staring up at the gothic building warily.

"The fifth member is here?" Mint asked, her brow furrowed.

"If she is or isn't, we need to enter, na no da!" Pudding said.

With nods, the girls ran into the church.

As soon as they went through the doors, organ music began to play, with no one at the organ.

"Okay, come on, this place was creepy enough without the organ music!" Ichigo yelled in exasperation.

But no one listened to her. They were too busy staring at the figure in the cowboy hat and trench coat, kneeling in front of the altar lined with a dozen lit candles with a large cross in the center.

"Is, is that…?" Mint whispered. The figure stood, turning to the girls. They couldn't see her face in the shadow of her hat.

But then they saw it.

The gleaming silver cross necklace.

Mint's eyes widened and she gasped, recognizing the trademark item. No, it wasn't possible… Was it?

Suddenly, the stained glass windows shattered as large black birds flew through them, flapping their wings and cawing. Their entrance blew out the candles, taking away the only light source in the entire building.

Dozens of the large birds flew around the large church in circles, ambushing the girls, who screamed.

"How did you find this place?"

Lettuce's blood froze as she recognized the voice. Standing at the top of the large, metal cross, one arm outstretched with an even larger bird that the ones that flapped around the room perched on his arm, looking even more gothic and scary in the dark church and empty stained-glass windows, was…

"Pie-San!" Lettuce gasped, trying to shoo away the birds and protect her face at the same time.

"No matter," Pie said, his face in a perfect mask of emotionlessness. "I believe that humans hold religious services for the dead in buildings such as this? Then is it not fitting for me to kill you here?"

"You will not murder anyone in these sacred halls," The person, the fifth member, said. Her voice was low, and somewhat harsh. The birds squawked too loudly to properly identify the voice. "Yes, services to honor the dead are held here. But so are weddings, the joyful union of lovers who wish to spend their lives together. Babies are christened here, full of new life, of hope and ambition. But, most importantly, in these halls praises are sung to a man who was more than just a man, who died and came back to life and is still alive today."

"You will not be as lucky as He," Pie stated flatly. "For my crows will eat your entrails before there was even the slightest chance of life being restored."

With that, the large bird on his arm unfurled its wings, opening its beak in a hiss.

The birds continued to attack the girls. They tried to get their weapons, but it was no use. The birds kept knocking them away.

Lettuce fell to her rear on the floor. She felt cold, callused hands be placed on her shoulder and hot breath on her neck.

"Perhaps, Sashimi, I should take the first bite before my crows tear away your flesh entirely," Pie whispered in her ear, running his tongue over his sharp, white teeth, leaning closer and closer to her neck, his mouth open, his fangs gleaming as they got closer to her flawless, creamy exposed skin. Lettuce's eyes widened as she felt Pie's hot breath on her shoulder and she jerked away.

"Pie-San!" She exclaimed with a gasp, but he was gone. He was back on top of the cross, his Chimera Crow on his arm again.

"Welcome," Pie said blandly, but his eyes gleamed. "To funeral of the fifth member. It shall be followed by those for the fourth, third, second and first members. Ah, but for there to be a funeral, first there must be a death."

The figure did not move a centimeter. Didn't even shift from foot to foot.

"What is the matter?" Pie taunted the girl. "You are not moving. Could it be that you are frozen out of fear? Good. Do you know how much you have inconvenienced me? And now you have fallen right into my trap. You will never escape, no matter how hard you try. Though it appears I must thank you for not even bothering to try to escape. It is a pity though, I wanted to watch you scream and try to flee… No matter, I have the other four for that entertainment." He smirked ever so slightly. "KILL HER!"

The crows cawed loudly, turning all attention to the girl. She turned her head and raised her hand to the brim of her hat, throwing it aside.

The other four girls gasped.

It was Zakuro Fujiwara who pulled out a small, golden oval and brought it to her lips.

"MEW MEW ZAKURO, METAMORPHO-SIS!"

In a flash of light, the girl that stood there was no longer Zakuro Fujiwara, internationally renowned model and actress.

Instead, it was Mew Zakuro. She wore dark purple boots that went to just above her knee, purple flared shorts, a strapless top that exposed her entire stomach covering only her chest. She wore purple bracers around her wrists and purple armbands, garter on her left leg and matching choker where her pendant hung. On her head were fuzzy, gray wolf ears and she had a matching gray tail behind her that momentarily wagged like a dog's. She flipped some of her hair behind her shoulder and stood with a fist on a hip.

On her stomach, around her naval, was a small purple marking that looked like two wolf's tails.

"It IS Zakuro Onee-Sama!" Mint said, her eyes wide as she stared in awe.

Pie sneered as he looked around. The blast of light that had come from her as she transformed had made the crows go back to normal. The terrified birds were now trying to find an exit, smacking against the walls in their haste to escape before going through the glassless windows.

"You!" Pie snarled. "How could you have returned all my Chimera crows to normal at once?" The large one on his arm hissed loudly. "GO! Chimera Crow Great!" Pie yelled.

The Chimera leapt for Mew Zakuro, who dodged both the Chimera and Pie, who had brought out oddly shaped red and gold fans. Though they appeared harmless, the way Pie was trying to slash as Zakuro told Lettuce that looks were deceiving.

"Look at her move!" Ichigo exclaimed. "It's incredible!"

"Like something out of a karate film, na no da!" Pudding said excitedly.

"Zacross Whip!" Zakuro called out. Suddenly, Zakuro was twirling a thick purple and gold rod that appeared in her hand. A long, pale-purple stream of light came out of one end. She spun, the light following her movements before she raised it above her head. Suddenly, the rod became a cross, the light shining brighter than before.

"RIBBON… ZAKURO SPEAR!" She cried before bringing down the whip at the Chimera, which dissolved into a harmless crow and a parasite, the latter of which Mini-Mew grabbed quickly while the bird made a hasty escape, it's wings flapping hard.

Zakuro landed in front of the altar in a crouch before standing up, looking unperturbed.

Pie landed on his feet, but sank into a crouch, pressing his right hand to his left upper arm. He looked at the palm of his hand to see it covered in scarlet blood that seeped from a long, but fortunately not too deep scratch. He hissed as he applied pressure to the wound, gotten from the backlash of Zakuro's whip. Lettuce gasped slightly at seeing the blood drip down his arm.

_His blood… it is the same color as ours,_ She thought, stunned by that thought.

"Pie-San?" She whispered, taking a half-step forward.

Pie's head jerked up as he glared at her with a snarl before disappearing.

All was quiet. Zakuro de-transformed, the heels of her boots clicking on the floor, crunching broken glass as she went to pick up her hat, placing it on her head after dusting off the black feathers.

"Mew Zakuro-San," Lettuce said softly. "Fujiwara Zakuro-San."

"Onee-Sama…" Mint said, smiling as she stepped over towards Zakuro. "So you are a member!"

"How stupid," Zakuro snapped. Mint paused in her tracks, her brow furrowed. She didn't turn as she coldly said,

"Sorry, but I don't work with others."

"Huh?" The four girls said, stunned.

"I don't need friends," Zakuro said bitterly, still not facing any of them. "I work alone."

"But… but you're the final member that we finally found! The final member we need!" Mint insisted, her eyes tearing up. She threw her arms around Zakuro. "ONEE-SAMA!"

Zakuro turned and shoved Mint off of her, the bird Mew falling to the ground. She stared up at Zakuro, tears falling from her eyes.

"STOP IT!" Zakuro snapped. "Girls like you are annoying!"

"But… but…" Mint kept whispering. Zakuro just turned and walked away, her boots clicking on the wood floors, colored glass still crunching under her soles.

"Lettuce, what do we do now?" Ichigo asked, clutching onto the green-haired girl's arm. Pudding looked up with wide-eyes, wanting an answer as well.

Lettuce just shook her head, frozen.

They had found their fifth member.

And she wanted no part in their team.

"I don't know, Ichigo-San," Lettuce whispered, trying hard to not get choked up. "I just don't know."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen:

Mint could only sit there, holding a flower, staring into space, her eyes glazed over from where she sat at a Café Mew Mew table.

"She looks depressed," Ichigo muttered, stating the obvious.

"Well, wouldn't you be if someone you admired that much told you were annoying?" Lettuce asked. Ichigo's face paled.

"If Aoyama-Kun told me that, I would die," She whispered, looking like she might pass out just from the thought of Aoyama telling her she was annoying and to get lost.

"Exactly," Lettuce said with a nod.

"She looks extremely blue, na no da!" Pudding proclaimed. Then her brow furrowed. "Well, bluer than usual, na no da."

Lettuce gazed sadly at Mint, and then turned to the clock as it chimed three o'clock. She grinned.

"Mint-San! It's tea time!" Lettuce said, knowing that that would always cheer up the dark-haired girl.

Mint's glazed eyes turned vaguely to Lettuce and she nodded.

"Okay…" She muttered.

The three girls watched, hoping to see her eyes liven up after having a sip of her afternoon tea. However, their expectant faces soon turned to horror.

"Mint Onee-Chan!" Pudding exclaimed. "That's not a cup, na no da! It's a—"

Mint paused and stared at the vase she had lifted to her lips. She slowly lowered.

"Oh," She said. "It's a vase."

Ichigo face-palmed. Pudding laid her head on the counter. Lettuce just gently smacked her forehead against a column.

"She's seriously ill," Ichigo murmured.

Lettuce stood up straight and walked into the kitchen. Ichigo and Pudding shared a glance and followed her wordlessly.

"Keiichiro-San? Ryou-San? Can… can we talk?" Lettuce asked.

"What's up?" Keiichiro asked kindly as he boxed up a cake.

"Well…" Lettuce took a deep breath. "Is she really supposed to be part of our team?"

"Oh, you mean Fujiwara-San? Well, did she transform or not?" Ryou asked, trying to sound innocent.

"Why should I answer the question you already know the answer to?" Lettuce asked, causing both Ryou and Keiichiro to look slightly alarmed.

"Huh?" Ichigo and Pudding said together.

"What do you mean by that, Lettuce Onee-Chan, na no da?" Pudding asked.

"Zakuro-San had the pendant around her neck, on her choker, like the rest of us do," Lettuce said. "Mini-Mew had never been around her until last night, but she's been fighting Chimeras since long before then. She had to get her pendant somehow."

Ryou sighed.

"Yes. I planted the pendant for Fujiwara Zakuro to find," He admitted, leaning against the counter. "I wasn't expecting her to be like this, though. She obviously figured out how to access her powers on her own. She has the maturity to handle the transformation on her own solo."

"She was alone," Lettuce said, frowning. "Ichigo was the only other one of us that transformed alone. That should never have happened either. And obviously, Zakuro couldn't handle it."

"It's scary, being on your own," Ichigo said softly. "Becoming that kind of freaky… freak. I wish that Lettuce or Mint or someone had been there with me, let me know everything was okay. Zakuro had no one, and she still has no one, doesn't want anyone. She quite literally is a lone wolf."

Ryou frowned and he sighed again.

"You're right," He admitted. "This wasn't my best decision. I should have discussed it with you."

"Did you even know if she was a member, Ryou-San?" Lettuce asked.

"I had a good idea that it could have been her. When you mentioned that Mint had been there at the exhibit the day of the infusing, I went over security films to see who else had been there and tracked some information down on the other girls that had been there that day. Zakuro's was the only one who really fit as a match," He said.

"Well, thanks a lot, Shirogane!" Ichigo snapped, clearly irritated. She pointed to the door leading to the dining room. "Thanks to you, Zakuro's all but gotten a restraining order on us, we're an incomplete team, and Mint's in shock and acting all ghost like!"

It was then they heard a smacking sound. Everyone ran to poke their heads out the door. Mint stood in front of the wall, staring at it blankly. Slowly, she raised her hand to her forehead.

"Ow." She muttered. Then she proceeded to try to walk through the wall again.

"She… needs help," Lettuce said.

"Um, we talking professional help or get out of her funk help?" Ichigo asked.

Lettuce winced as Mint walked into the wall again.

"Maybe a bit of both," She said. "We need to convince Zakuro to join our team, fast."

"Pudding's got it, na no da," Pudding said, her eyes narrowed as she rubbed her chin. "Maybe Zakuro Onee-Chan is a bad guy, na no da!"

"Uh, Pudding-San, I think that's a little bit of over-kill," Lettuce said.

Pudding raised a finger above her head.

"IF SHE'S NOT ON OUR TEAM, SHE'S AN ENEMY, NA NO DA!" She declared.

"If we're going by that conjecture, there's a lot more enemies than just the aliens," Keiichiro said, scratching his chin.

"Even still, Pudding might be right," Ryou said, folding his arms over his chest. "Perhaps her reasoning for not joining is because she's already picked a side."

"Then why destroy the Chimeras?" Lettuce pressed.

"Maybe she destroyed them, then after-words decided not to?" Ichigo suggested. "Or it's a trap set up by her and Pie?"

"That doesn't sound right," Lettuce said, shaking her head. "That doesn't sound like either Zakuro-San or Pie-San." She paused for a moment then frowned in determination. "I need to see Zakuro-San. I know that somehow I can convince her to join."

With that, she ran out of the room, Pudding and Ichigo following.

"Be careful," Ryou called. "She might be the enemy!"

"She isn't, because it's not possible!" Lettuce said, smiling over her shoulder at Ryou.

"She denied that possibility strongly," Keiichiro observed as the girls dragged Mint into the locker room.

"She's that kind of girl," Ryou said softly. "She sees everyone as good and kind. She doesn't like fighting. She's a peacemaker. She'd like everyone to get along. That's why she's perfect." He trailed off, then quickly added. "For the Mew Project. And as a leader. That's why."

"That is true," Keiichiro said, resisting the urge to smile. He studied his friend. "Now, the real question is, why are you so against Fujiwara Zakuro joining the team?"

Ryou hesitated.

"She's not only stuck-up, but she's famous. She gets found out as a Mew, the entire project's down the tubes," He said with a frown. He shrugged and scoffed. "Don't really see why she's all that. She's not even really that pretty. Plus that smile of hers is completely fake, only for the cameras. I've seen her real smile and that isn't it."

Keiichiro frowned slightly.

"Oh? And how have you been so fortunate enough to see this 'real smile' of hers?" He asked.

Ryou's face paled as he started racking his brain for a response. That was exactly how Keiichiro was expecting him to respond.

"Ryou, do you know Zakuro Fujiwara?" Keiichiro asked. "And answer truthfully."

Ryou's cheeks instantly tinged pink.

"We… we dated briefly." He said softly.

"You did?" Keiichiro said with surprise. He had not known this. "When?"

"Two years ago. We met by chance at a bookshop and started going out for coffee. And then progressed to dinner and walks in the park. And then started kissing before we went back to our respective homes. I didn't even have a clue who she was until I happened to see my girlfriend's name and picture on a magazine," Ryou said. "We kept it a secret from the paparazzi and her manager, since she was starting to become well-known. I didn't want to tell you because you were so busy with your own projects at the time. Honestly, I thought you would have figured it out. But you were so wrapped up in Rei and your own work at the time that you didn't even notice."

It was Keiichiro's turn for his cheeks to darken, his heart stuck in his throat with guilt. He had neglected Ryou some during the six months he dated the young entomology student, and then jeopardized his relationships with both as he became too entranced with his own research and goals. Rei leaving him was what he needed to get his priorities straightened out again.

"I'm sorry, Ryou," Keiichiro whispered. "Why did you two break-up?"

"We had a fight," Ryou said. "We said many harsh words to each other. Accused the other of being selfish. I didn't want her to go to America. She wanted me to come with her. But I was nearing the final stages of the Mew Project research, about to start testing. She didn't like the idea of the Mew Project. Said it was wrong and cruel."

"You told her about the project?" Keiichiro said with surprise.

"Stupid, I know. It was nothing but bragging at the time and it impressed her for a time until the Project started becoming a reality," Ryou admitted. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I never thought that she would become involved, especially like this."

"So that's why you don't want her here," Keiichiro said with understanding. "You have a crush on Lettuce. You don't want your ex-girlfriend and current crush to both be here."

Ryou didn't answer, just glanced away.

"Do you still like her?" Keiichiro whispered. "Zakuro? Or do your feelings for Lettuce surpass the ones for Zakuro?"

Ryou then slowly turned back to his friend.

"I have a photographic memory and a hundred and ninety IQ. I am one of the smartest people in history." He said. "But I can't answer that question."

Keiichiro sighed softly, and stood in the silence with Ryou.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Pie knelt before Deep Blue, his heart pounding, his pulse thundering in his large ears.

"Forgive me, Deep Blue-Sama," He said, his head lowered. "I will produce results next time."

"And?" Deep Blue demanded, clearly irritated with the alien.

"They should make contact again soon with that girl," He said. "At that time, I will take that opportunity and completely eliminate the threat they pose to our plans."

"Good." Deep Blue said.

Pie's heart raced faster. Deep Blue was still obviously upset with his failures. He shouldn't be posing any sort of request. But he had to… There was just something about that girl that could prove to be useful…

"However," He whispered. "I believe that Mew Lettuce's abilities will be useful in the future. Though she is fierce and intimidating when fighting in her alternate form, she is very meek and docile in her human form. I would like to bring her to join our forces and I am without a doubt that she would do as I instructed without a second thought. Being a human, she could help us destroy the entire race from the inside."

"As for the rest?" Deep Blue asked curiously.

"I will dispose of them," Pie said. "Why have five when only one could do the proper job? Regardless, having all five serve our side would be disastrous. They could easily join forces and turn on us. But one, this weak, submissive, innocent-looking one… she will be perfect."

There was a lengthy pause. Then, softly, Deep Blue said,

"Then make it so."

Pie lifted his head, his eyes flashing scarlet as he smirked before sinking into the floor, disappearing from Deep Blue's sight.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

The four mutated girls stood in line inside a store, waiting, along with the other, chattering people, to see Zakuro Fujiwara.

"See? This is much better than an audition!" Lettuce insisted to her friends with a grin. "We should have done this from the beginning. Much more anonymity… Much more people. And, best of all, guaranteed contact!"

"Yeah, and we don't have to do anything but stand in line and read magazines!" Ichigo said, glancing up briefly from the glossy fashion magazine in her hand.

"Yay! Handshake, na no da!" Pudding cheered.

"But there's still so many people," Mint said softly. "We can't have a conversation with all these people around."

"Then we'll have to hope that thirty seconds is enough," Lettuce said determinedly as the line moved forward.

Zakuro smiled at the young man, shaking his hand and briefly exchanging a few words with a small laugh from both. However, her good nature disappeared as soon as the girl with thin, green braids and glasses appeared, smiling.

"Konnichiwa!" Lettuce said brightly. Zakuro just glared. Lettuce sweat-dropped slightly. "So, uh, I am Midorikawa Lettuce. I don't think we got a chance to exchange names last night. Of course we all know who you are, and so… anyways, not important. Look, we really, really need to talk. It's really important. Is there a place we can meet up or—"

"Miss? Can you please just limit it to a handshake?" A story employee asked. Lettuce jumped and turned bright red, stretching out her hand, which Zakuro grudgingly took.

"So, anyways, we could meet for coffee, talk this all out, actually there's this neat slideshow—" Lettuce tried to continue.

"Thank you for coming out," Zakuro said, cutting her off, her meaning clearly stating that this discussion was over.

Lettuce lowered her head and walked away. Ichigo then went next, picking up where Lettuce left off, though she ended up getting in an argument with the employees and two security guards had to escort her out of the building. Lettuce sighed but followed the guards and Mint and Pudding slipped out of line to follow as well.

"Well, that was a bust," Lettuce said with a sigh. "Does anyone else have an idea?"

"I've got one, nya!" Ichigo said, her little kitty fang gleaming.

An hour later, the girls stood on top of a bridge overlooking heavy traffic. Ichigo and Pudding looked through their binoculars for Zakuro's limo.

"Uh, Ichigo-San? I don't think this is going to work," Lettuce said, trying hard to not be afraid of the grin on Ichigo's face. "Let's think of another way…"

"This one will work for sure!" Ichigo said, her eyes still glued to the binoculars.

"Ichigo Onee-Chan! She's here, na no da!" Pudding said.

"Where?" Ichigo asked, moving her head. Then she let out an "AHA! THERE SHE IS! LET'S GO!"

She then leapt, planning on hopping over cars to get to Zakuro's. However, that didn't work as well as she thought as she proceeded to get the bow of her dress trapped on a sign. Lettuce, Mint and Pudding quickly pulled her back to the bridge, Ichigo's eyes a bit wide and her face pale.

"Let's… just call it a day," Lettuce said with a sigh.

"Good idea," Ichigo muttered. Mint just sighed and walked away from the other girls, who could only watch her leave sadly.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Mint's eyes narrowed as she stared at the three girls on her front stoop, all smiling awkwardly.

"So what brought you three here?" She demanded.

"We thought we could hang out!" Lettuce said brightly.

"Hang out?" Mint said, not sounding impressed. "And do what exactly?"

"Well, uh…" Lettuce started.

"Pudding could perform, na no da!" Pudding said, starting to spin plates.

"I get enough of that at work," Mint said dryly.

"We could make our own candy, nya!" Ichigo said, holding up a box of do-it-yourself chocolates.

"We have a full-time dessert specialist on staff here." Mint informed Ichigo.

"How about hide-and-seek!" Lettuce suggested. "In a house this large, there's plenty of hiding places to make the game go on for a long time!"

"Chances are, I'll never find you. If I even wanted to find you in the first place," Mint snapped.

"Wait, what's that, na no da?" Pudding asked, staring at a button on the side of the wall. Mint's eyes widened as Pudding's finger moved towards it.

"Pudding, don't push—!" She started to say.

They all screamed as suddenly the sprinklers went on, soaking the girls entirely from head to toe.

"That," Mint finished irritably, her hair and dress dripping wet and a tick-mark forming on her forehead.

"So _that's_ what it does, na no da," Pudding said with a bright smile. Lettuce and Ichigo just groaned and face-palmed.

Fifteen minutes later, the girls were sitting up in Mint's room, dressed in dry pajamas and with their hair blow-dried.

"I'm sorry, Mint-San," Lettuce said as she tied Pudding's hair into small pigtails with yellow ribbons. "We hadn't been planning on imposing for long."

"It's fine," Mint said from where she sat in her chair. "You can stay until your clothes finish drying."

A maid entered with tea and cakes and the girls began to eat and drink. Pudding, in particular, started gobbling down food.

"Pudding, really, there's plenty for everyone," Mint said with a sigh. Her eyes then widened. "Hey, what are you doing with my hair?"

"Relax, just braiding it!" Ichigo said as she took strands of Mint's dark hair, laying one piece over another.

Lettuce smiled. She wasn't going to say anything, but this was her very first pajama party. The Three Ayas had them regularly, but somehow Lettuce never seemed to be invited, or it had been spur-of-the-moment. Just like with their shopping trips and trips to the movies. She had never had friends like these.

"Huh?" Lettuce said, suddenly feeling her braids be loosened, a brush going through her hair.

"Lettuce Onee-Chan's hair is so long and pretty, na no da!" Pudding proclaimed as she gently ran the brush through her wavy hair. "Pudding wants to have hair this long someday, na no da!"

"Do you just never cut it?" Mint asked as she sipped her tea.

"I get the ends trimmed off, but otherwise, no, I've never had really cut it," Lettuce explained.

"Don't ever cut it," Mint said, half-warningly, half-ordering. "You'd regret it if you did. And you look much cuter with it long like that."

"Really?" Lettuce said, fingering her long strands of hair.

"Totally!" Ichigo said. "Besides, you're lucky to be able to grow it that long. I had to cut my hair shorter than I would have liked when I was in fourth grade. It was pretty long until the boy who sat behind me decided to cut off some and we had to cut the rest of it to the same length. I cried and cried over it until the hair dresser put my hair in pigtails and I fell in love with the style. Unfortunately, though, my hair doesn't grow that fast."

"The pigtails do look really cute on you," Lettuce said with a smile, reaching out to flick one of Ichigo's pigtails.

"Thanks!" Ichigo said with a giggle.

After a few minutes of talking with Mint, Lettuce noticed Ichigo had disappeared from their circle.

"Oh, Mint..." Ichigo said in a sing-song voice, something behind her back, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Hmm?" Mint said, setting aside her empty teacup, just to get a pillow in the face. She screeched, her face red as she glared at Ichigo. "What was that for?" She demanded.

"What? Don't tell me this is your first pillow fight?" Ichigo said with a teasing smile. Mint growled slightly and threw the pillow at Ichigo, who caught it.

"PUDDING WANT'S TO PLAY TOO, NA NO DA!" Pudding cried as she abandoned playing with Lettuce's hair, trying to snatch away the pillow.

"Careful, Pudding-San, or it might—" Lettuce tried to warn, her eyes wide.

But it was too late.

With a loud ripping sound, the feathers in the pillow were floating around the room.

"Ooops." Pudding said, looking a little abashed, but instantly grabbed another pillow and started hitting Ichigo with it, Mint yelling at them while hitting both of them with pillows. Lettuce laughed and grabbed her own, joining the mix as they laughed and hit each other with the soft pillows.

Finally, they were all worn out, feathers strewn everywhere throughout the room. Ichigo and Pudding fell asleep curled up together on the floor, even though the sun hadn't even set yet. Only Lettuce and Mint were awake, lying on their stomachs on her large bed.

"So, why did you really come over?" Mint asked.

Lettuce smiled shyly.

"I wanted to see your smile, Mint-San, as did Ichigo-San and Pudding-San," She said. "You've been so depressed today and we wanted to see you happy."

"Why?" Mint asked, her brow furrowed. "Why did you want to see me smile?"

"Because you are my friend, Mint-San," Lettuce said, her smile growing bigger. "And I don't like seeing my friends upset."

"Thank you," Mint said, clearly taken aback. "No one's ever done anything like that for me before."

"You're welcome," Lettuce said. They lay there in silence for a moment, then Lettuce said, "Mint-San, do you want to know why I do not believe for a second that Zakuro-San could be our enemy, that she will join our team?"

"No," Mint admitted. "Why?"

"Her smile," Lettuce said. "Not the smile she gives the fans and the cameras. Her real smile, the smile she wore as she danced for us yesterday. I saw the same smile the first time I watched you dance. That that was where you were truly happy, not just faking it. And I also saw the determination, the pride she took in every movement, though it also looked effortless. These were the first things I saw in your ballet performance. That's how I know she will join our team. Because you and Zakuro-San are very much alike."

Mint smiled and reached over to hug Lettuce.

"Thank you, Lettuce," She said. "You're a really great friend, you know that?"

Lettuce smiled, her eyes getting teary.

"Thank you, Mint," She said, hugging the girl back. They stayed like that for a moment, then Mint got off the bed.

"I'm going to go get some extra blankets," She said, heading for the door. "Be right back."

Lettuce laid her chin on her elbows, smiling. However, her smile turned to a frown when she saw a strange light coming in through the window. She sat up and peered out, her heart racing.

Someone else was joining the party.

Someone who was definitely not invited.

Lettuce ran down the stairs and out into the spacious backyard, looking around. Had her eyes been playing tricks on her?

She leapt a foot in the air at feeling hands on her shoulder.

"Caught you, Sashimi," Pie's voice whispered in her ear. In her mind's eye, she saw the hint of the smirk he wore when he toyed with her.

"Wh-wh… let me go!" Lettuce yelled, fighting him off.

"Resisting will not help you," Pie hissed in her ear before turning her sharply to face him. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to face him. He ran a long, thin finger over her jawbone, studying her and her wide-eyes full of fear. His eyes gleamed maliciously. "I can most assuredly say that my spoils of war were not well earned."

"Let her go!"

Pie leapt away to avoid a Ribbon Mint Echo and Lettuce ducked with a squeak.

"Lettuce is a dear friend of mine," Mew Mint said, glaring at Pie as Mew Ichigo and Mew Pudding ran up to join her, their own weapons out and also glaring at the alien. "Hurt her, and you'll be sorry."

"She is not the one you have to fret for," Pie stated from where he floated in the air, his arms folded over his chest, the orange and pink sky as the sun lowered behind him, casting his face into the shadows. "It is Mew Zakuro whose life you should fear for."

With that, he teleported away.

"Zakuro Onee-Sama?" Mint said worriedly with wide eyes.

"Don't worry, Mint-San," Lettuce said, taking Mint's hand. "We'll find her before Pie-San can. Mini-Mew, do you happen to know where she is right now, or can you find a way to locate her?"

"Scanning city for fifth Mew, scanning city for fifth Mew," Mini-Mew said, flapping his wings hard. After a moment, he said, "TV station, TV station! Follow Mini-Mew, follow Mini-Mew!"

"Come on, girls," Lettuce said with a smile. "Let's go help Zakuro-San. No." Her smile grew wider. "Let's go help our teammate!"

"Yeah!" The three other girls chimed together. With that, they took off running after Mini-Mew as the sky continued to darken.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen:

Zakuro sat in the empty make-up room, gazing out the window, bored.

"You appear to be tired. But you have yet another show to put on for those expectant humans who wish to see your beautiful body. They will never get close enough to you to see that you are nothing but an ice queen."

Zakuro turned to stare at the alien, who had his head tilted towards her.

"I'm gonna call someone," She threatened half-heartedly, making no move to rise or even look like screaming.

"Then do so," Pie challenged, sitting in a chair, propping his booted feet up on the counter, kicking away brushes and pallets, neither caring as they clattered to the floor. "Or you could call for your teammates."

"I don't have teammates," Zakuro snapped. "I work alone."

"I cannot believe I am finding myself saying such, but you and I are a lot alike, human girl," Pie said, folding his arms over his chest. "Hearts of stone. No desire to work with another."

"And frankly if your ears were smaller or mine bigger, we could be presumed as twins," Zakuro said, noting that their hair and eyes were in similar color and shape.

"There is that too," Pie said blandly, picking up a powder-puff and examining it, twisting it in the low light from the setting sun. He tossed it aside, swinging his legs off the counter and getting to his feet. He sauntered over to her and bent down so that he could whisper in her ear. "However. If we work together, I can ensure you get revenge on them."

Zakuro's eyebrow raised and Pie smiled inwardly.

"Revenge?" She said in a whisper.

Pie's inner smile grew larger

He had her hooked.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

"Zakuro's here somewhere," Lettuce said as they entered through the sliding glass doors of the TV station.

"For a place where a live broadcast is about to start, this place sure is empty, na no da," Pudding said.

"While creepy, that's a good thing," Ichigo observed. "No security, no people trying to stop us from finding Zakuro."

"Which way should we go?" Mint asked, looking at all the different hallways, knowing that there were three other floors of the building. "Stay together or split up?"

"Split up," Lettuce said after a second of thought. "If we stay together, we'll look suspicious, plus we can cover more ground."

"Right!" The other girls said with nods. They each picked a direction and headed that way, hoping that they would find Zakuro, and quickly.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

"Yes," Pie continued. "Revenge. You deserve it, do you not? They did that to your body, made it what it is now." He placed a finger on her stomach, right at her navel. She didn't flinch as he stuck his long claw into her flesh through her shirt. It hurt but didn't draw blood. "A freak. If I were you, I would do anything to become normal again. That is why I will help you, give you your body back, make you whole again."

Zakuro stared at him directly in the eye, trying to determine if he was speaking the truth or not. In the same manner he stared into her eyes, evaluating her. Would she give into her heart's desire?

From out in the hall, they heard voices.

"Mint! Pudding!"

"Ichigo, did you find her?"

"Not yet."

"We haven't gone down that hallway yet, na no da!"

"Let's go!"

The three pairs of footsteps thundered in their ears. Pie did not drop Zakuro's gaze, nor did she drop his.

"Onee-Sama, Onee-Sam, where are you?"

Suddenly, the three girls burst into the room. Zakuro and Pie broke their stares, turning simultaneously to look at Mint, Ichigo and Pudding. The girls looked horror-stricken to see Pie there, his finger still on Zakuro's stomach.

"Why?" Mint whispered, her eyes teary.

"Oh no, this isn't good," Ichigo muttered.

Pie smirked, suddenly raising his hand, making the red and gold fan appear clenched in his fist. He chuckled darkly.

"No, little Mew, this is not good at all," He said. "For you, at least. Torunēdo-fū sutōmu!"

With that, he swung his arm, creating a large tornado, sweeping the girls into it with cries of panic.

Out in the hall, Lettuce jumped at hearing a door slam open and screams, which she recognized as those of her teammates.

"Mint-San! Ichigo-San! Pudding-San! Zakuro-San!" Lettuce cried as she ran down the hall.

She got to the doorway just in time to see the wind die down. She watched with horror as Ichigo's necklace, a bell on a ribbon that she considered the most precious thing she owned as it was a gift from Aoyama-Kun and swore that she would never take it off, fell to the ground with a gentle _tinkle_.

"No…" Lettuce whispered, her eyes wide and tearing up before she screamed in anguish, "NO! Mint-San! Ichigo-San! Pudding-San!"

But it was no use. The girls were gone, swept away in the tornado Pie had created.

Lettuce felt bile rise in her throat. She now knew who had been responsible for the tornado of sports equipment the night Ichigo joined the team. However, that knowledge did not comfort her at all.

Because unlike the sporting gear, that merely fell to the linoleum floor with a clatter when the wind was gone, her friends had disappeared completely.

"Pie-San! What have you done?" Lettuce demanded, her fists clenched and struggling not to break down in front of Pie and Zakuro.

"What you humans refer to as a 'magic trick'," Pie said with a self-satisfied smirk. "I made them disappear. However, unlike with an human magician, your teammates will never return."

"Give them back!" Lettuce begged. "Please!"

Pie floated to the ground.

"I will. However, only on one condition," He said, his head bowed.

"What is it?" Lettuce asked, her knees shaking.

Pie's eyes gleamed maliciously for a millisecond as he looked up, eyes still hard and blank.

"You both will partake in a fight to the death," He said. "And the winner shall work with me."

Zakuro and Lettuce both flinched, staring at the alien in disbelief and shock.

"What?" Lettuce said, her eyes wide. She couldn't kill Zakuro and couldn't work with Pie, but she also didn't want to die or Zakuro to work with Pie. "No, no I won't do it!"

"That is the only way for the three to return," Pie said. "That is my ultimatum."

"No!" Lettuce shouted, squeezing her eyes shut, shaking her head, her braids flying. "No! I won't fight Zakuro-San!"

"Then you will never see your companions again," Pie said simply.

"Like I said," Zakuro said, not looking at either of them. "I don't work with—"

"Then you will never return to 'normal'," Pie stated, causing the model to glare at him.

There was silence for a moment.

"Think about my challenge with care," Pie said. "I will be watching for when you make your decisions."

With that, he disappeared.

Zakuro stooped down to pick up Ichigo's necklace, but Lettuce snatched it up first, the golden bell jingling as she clutched it in her fist.

Zakuro looked up at Lettuce, who was shaking and trying hard not to cry.

"You think this is my fault," Zakuro stated, not bothering to stand up. "You won't say it, but I see it in your eyes."

"If you had become a member…" Lettuce choked out.

Zakuro scowled and stood, walking past Lettuce.

"This has nothing to do with me," She said coldly.

The door closed behind Zakuro, leaving Lettuce standing there in the darkening room, crying as she clutched Ichigo's precious necklace to her chest.

After she had calmed some, Lettuce sat on the floor, rubbing her eyes, sniffling. She took off her glasses and held them in her hand, taking deep breaths, considering her situation.

She knew Pie was lying when he said that he would return Mint, Ichigo and Pudding if they fought. Knew that there was some reason that he wanted one of them to work with him. Knew that Zakuro didn't want to be a Mew and that if Lettuce forfeited, Pie would snatch her up in a heartbeat.

After talking with Ryou and Keiichiro, who informed her that the other girls were alright for now, but trapped in an alternate dimension and not sure how long they would last trapped there.

"I don't know what to do anymore," Lettuce said, her phone pressed to her ear, her hand in her hair, her eyes squeezed shut.

There was a pause, then Ryou said,

"Lettuce, do you really, truly, whole-heartedly believe that Fujiwara Zakuro is a friend?" He asked.

"What?" Lettuce asked, blinking once. "Yes. Yes, I do."

"Can you hold onto that belief, Lettuce? Can you still believe in her?" Ryou asked.

Lettuce swallowed hard.

"Yes," She whispered.

"Then you know what to do," Ryou said. "She can help you, if you talk to her. Her whip should be able to break through to the other dimension. But she can only help you if you ask for it."

Lettuce nodded, despite the fact that he couldn't see her do so.

"Arigato, Ryou-San," She said. "Bye. I hope to see you both soon."

With that, she hung up her phone and put her glasses back on, tucking Ichigo's necklace in her pocket. She took a deep breath, she ran out of the room.

She ran down the halls towards the broadcasting room, only to get stopped by a woman with short hair and a security tag around her neck.

"Are you authorized to be here?" She demanded.

"Uh…" Lettuce said, starting to panic. "How do I put this… um, ano…"

"You can't get back here without permission," The lady said.

"She's fine."

They both turned to see Zakuro standing there wearing a cream dress.

"Zakuro-San!" Lettuce said.

The other woman left to get back to her job, leaving Zakuro and Lettuce alone.

"What do you want?" Zakuro demanded.

"Time is running out for my friends," Lettuce said. "Shirogane-San thinks that your whip can break through to where they are."

"Shirogane?" Zakuro asked, arching an eyebrow, scowling some. "He bathed you in that weird light, too, and caused that earthquake?"

"Well, the light, yes, but the earthquake wasn't their fault. They were aiming for the animals when the earthquake hit, hitting us—" Lettuce said.

"It doesn't matter," Zakuro snapped. "I have no intention of helping that selfish boy. No matter his reasoning for doing this, I won't help him."

"It was an accident, though!" Lettuce insisted. "And his reasons aren't selfish! He is trying to protect the Earth and—"

"What, do you have a crush on him or something?" Zakuro snapped bitterly, causing Lettuce to blush. She shook her head to clear the color in her cheeks, and her mind of the question,

_Do you like Shirogane?_

"Please," She begged. "You have to help me rescue my friends! They're very dear to me! And if one person is missing, we're an incomplete team. We can't succeed, can't protect the Earth without everyone!"

Zakuro studied Lettuce, who shrank some under her gaze.

"You… didn't come here to fight me?" She said, a hint of confusion in her voice.

Lettuce shook her head vigorously, her eyes squeezed shut.

"No! Never!" She insisted.

Before Zakuro could say anything, a man's voice called,

"Zakuro-San! It's time!"

Without a word or a backwards glance, Zakuro walked away from Lettuce to step onto the stage.

Leaving Lettuce feeling feeling helpless and heartbroken.

_What am I going to do?_ She asked herself.


	18. Chapter 18

**Alright. Here it is. The last official update of _Girl with a Porpoise_ before I start classes. Updates will be sporadic from this point on-ward, but hopefully I'll have a bit to post over fall and Christmas break, but that will mostly depend on how much writing time I have as well.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter! :)**

Chapter Eighteen:

Lettuce could only watch sadly from the wings as Zakuro put on her charming smile and gave her sweet laugh for the camera, playing with the animals on the set.

"Lettuce! Lettuce! Alien! Alien!" Mini-Mew chirped from her pocket. Her eyes widened as she looked down at him and then nodded, starting to run towards the hall, where there was a strange light.

She gasped to see Pie floating there, or rather the shadow of Pie's body against the light, the crystal of a human spirit glowing in his palm, the still body of one of the show's crew lying on the ground.

"Pie-San!" She managed to get out, shielding her eyes from the bright light. Suddenly, strong hands grabbed her wrists, forcing her onto the ground on her back. Lettuce looked up through her askew glasses to see Pie leering over her, pinning her down, his knees pressing into her hips.

"Wh-What do you want?" Lettuce asked, trembling.

"Are you aware of how troublesome it would be for not only myself, but for my master, if four more girls like you suddenly appeared?" He said, his cold indigo eyes boring into her bright sapphire ones. "However, when they are destroyed, one-by-one, they become less of a threat?" Lettuce still trembled, trying to fight him off. "Do not worry, _Lettuce_." Pie said her name like it was venom, his hands tightening on her wrists; she knew there would be welts in the morning. If she survived to see the next morning. "I will not kill you. You are going to prove to be very, very valuable."

Lettuce squeaked, but did not stop squirming under Pie, who smirked evilly.

"It is no use, Sashimi," He said. "As long as you are still in your normal form, you are weak. My strength greatly surpasses yours. There is no escape." Not turning, he said softly to the Chimera, "Kill Fujiwara Zakuro."

Hissing, the large snake Chimera slithered out of sight.

"No…" Lettuce breathed, her eyes wide. Then, she screamed, "NO! ZAKURO-SAN!"

"She cannot hear you," Pie said. Lettuce glanced up at him with fear-filled eyes. His face remained an emotionless blank. She almost wondered if she would have preferred seeing a victorious smirk and pride in his voice, instead of the bland, almost bored, "You are both doomed."

Lettuce started trying to fight him again.

"Let me go! Let me go, please!" She begged, but Pie just held her tighter, his eyes gleaming. She stopped struggling, her pulse thundering in her ears, breathing heavily. She gulped quickly, remembering the self-defense she was taught in gym class the year before.

"Gomen-nasai in advance, Pie-San," She breathed, her cheeks suddenly staining red. Pie's brow furrowed some and he opened his mouth to question her, but it was too late.

She jerked her leg up and she saw his eyes widen slightly with pain as her knee caught him sharply in the fork of the legs, hitting very sensitive anatomy. With a slight groan of pain, he instinctively let go of her, lowering his hands down to where Lettuce had, uh, _wounded_ him, squeezing his eyes shut briefly in the vain and ridiculous hope that the pain would go away just by doing so. This gave her enough time to jump to her feet and run.

"Again, gomen-nasai!" Lettuce squeaked as she ran, her cheeks turning scarlet. At least she knew he was definitely male by Earth standards now…

With a snarl of both pain and fury, Pie took off after her through flying, having already realized that walking and running would be particularly painful at this moment.

As she ran, Lettuce brought her pendant to her mouth, crying out,

"MEW MEW LETTUCE, METAMORPHO-SIS!"

Mew Lettuce entered the room to see that the python that was to be used in that night's show was currently wrapped tightly around Zakuro, who tried to wriggle free to no avail as the snake was under control of the larger Chimera.

The Chimera lunged at Zakuro, fangs glistening, forked-tongue out. Zakuro's eyes widened as she was trapped, immobile.

Suddenly, Mew Lettuce jumped in front of her, taking the blow.

Zakuro watched in horror as the girl and snake collided with the set, the Chimera rearing up, tightly wrapped around Mew Lettuce, squeezing tighter and tighter.

"Zakuro-San…" Lettuce managed to get out. "Run!"

"Why?" Zakuro whispered, stunned. "Why did you do that?"

Lettuce smiled through the pain of the snake crushing her.

"Because… you're…a… friend…" She said, struggling for breath with every word.

Zakuro's eyes widened. She gulped hard, swallowing her tears.

She knew what she had to do.

Lettuce hit the ground hard as the Chimera released her. There was a flash of light and she screamed, hearing Zakuro do the same behind her.

When she opened her eyes, Zakuro was nowhere to be found.

"Zakuro… San…?" Lettuce muttered, looking around as she sat up on her knees.

Pie landed in a crouch beside her.

"She is not your friend," He stated. "She abandoned you."

"I told her to do so. So it's okay. Because I wanted her to be safe." Lettuce muttered, staring at the floor in front of her. Still, it hurt some that Zakuro had left.

"You are an obstinate little fool," Pie muttered, his voice and face emotionless as he studied Lettuce, who looked up at him with weary eyes. "The odds of you dying from exhaustion before the Chimera can kill you is eighty-three-thousand, five hundred and twenty-nine to one. However, if you were to join me, those odds would lower drastically. You could live a long and pleasant life."

He paused for a brief moment, Lettuce keeping her eyes averted. Then, in a lower voice, he said,

"You would not have to fight. I know you do not enjoy fighting. I know that glimmer in a person's eye when they enjoy the heat of battle, the thrill of being covered with sweat and every muscle aching yet still not stopping, the adrenaline rush that comes with being victorious. These things, I have not seen from you. You desire for peaceful means. Join me, and every squabble, every conflict, everywhere, can be solved without violent means."

"Under a dictatorship?" Lettuce breathed, her eyes going hard as she glared at him with an intensity he didn't know she had. "Under _your _dictatorship? Under _Deep Blue's_ dictatorship? With the human race as slaves, or worse, eradicated entirely? No. I would rather fight in thousands of wars, score upon score of battles, than live like that."

"You are on the losing side of this war!" Pie snapped.

"I don't care! If we lose—if _I_ lose—at least I can't say that I didn't fight to the end," Lettuce said. "I didn't choose to fight, and, no, I do not like to fight, but I will do so to protect my people with my last breaths, the final beatings of my heart! I will never join you!"

With that, she got to her feet, crossing her arms over her chest, the gem on her bracelet glowing.

"LETTUSTANETS!" She cried.

The Lettustanets appeared, but something was wrong.

The power she used to use her attack wasn't gathering.

"What's wrong?" She whispered. "Why isn't the power gathering?"

Pie rose to his feet, his face still blank and emotionless.

"If you will not come willingly," He said. "Then you will have to break.

"You will have to die."

The Chimera suddenly lunged at Lettuce, who knew there wasn't a possible way for her to dodge it. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths, ready for the impact.

When the impossible happened.

"RIBBON ZAKURO SPEAR!"

Lettuce opened her eyes to see a shield formed in front of her, the Chimera striking that instead. She watched as Zakuro's whip struck the Chimera, sending it reeling. From several feet in the air, Mew Zakuro, Mew Ichigo, Mew Mint and Mew Pudding all dropped down beside Lettuce.

"She cut open the other dimension?" Pie said blankly. His widened eyes was the only thing that gave away that he was surprised.

"Are you okay, Mew Lettuce?" Ichigo asked, instantly at Lettuce's side, her arm around her, checking for injuries.

"Mew Ichigo-San, Mew Mint-San, Mew Pudding-San… you're okay…" Lettuce said, smiling.

"You rest for a moment," Mint said, smiling brightly. "It's our turn now."

"RIBBON MINT ECHO!"

"RIBBON STRAWBERRY CHECK!"

"RIBBON PUDDING-RING INFERNO!"

Despite all three attacks being aimed at the Chimera at once, a shield formed around it, protecting it.

"Our attacks aren't working!" Ichigo said, her eyes wide.

Worse of all, they had angered the Chimera.

Lettuce clutched her Lettustanets tightly, bringing them to her chest, her eyes squeezed shut.

"Please, Lettustanets, please… Please give me the power…" She begged in a whisper.

"Mew Lettuce, no, you can't do that in your condition!" Mint said, realizing instantly what she was about to do.

"It's coming, na no da!" Pudding cried.

The Chimera hissed, getting closer and closer.

Suddenly, Mint looked down in surprise to see her Mint Arrow glowing blue in her hand.

"What's this?" She said in surprise.

But her weapon wasn't the only one glowing. Ichigo's Strawberry Bell was glowing pale pink, Pudding's Pudding-Rings golden yellow, Zakuro's Zacross Whip purple and Lettuce's Lettustanets a strong green color.

"Can you feel it, na no da?" Pudding whispered.

"The power pulsing through," Ichigo said, clutching her Strawberry Bell in both hands.

The girls seemed to instantly know what to do. Lettuce raised her Lettustanets above her head as the other girls kneeled in a square around her, using both hands to raise their weapons above their heads.

"I can feel it," Lettuce whispered, tilting her head back, her eyes closed as four glowing balls of light—one blue, one pink, one orange and one purple—gathered together in the twin Luttustanets above her head. "Everyone's power… I can feel it… This is the power of five, the power none of us could have alone. The power we only have when we are united, together, a team."

Her eyes snapped open, glowing green. As her eyes opened, her Lettustanets flashed out ribbons of light in the five colors that represented their team: Mint's pale blue, cool and confident; Ichigo's bubblegum pink, bright and cheerful; Pudding's golden-yellow, playful and loving; Zakuro's light purple, fierce and strong; Lettuce's lime green, loyal and true.

The ribbons wrapped around the Chimera, who struggled against the ribbons to no avail.

Lettuce brought her head forward, smiling.

"RIBBON… LETTUCE SURGE!" She yelled, bringing her arms down in front of her.

With a howl, the Chimera dissolved into only a parasite and a human spirit.

Lettuce took some deep breaths as she grinned broadly, proud of her team.

"This is the power of five," Pie murmured to himself with a scowl. "And what incredible power it is. It appears that the true war has now begun."

With that, he disappeared in a ripple of air.

"We did it, na no da!" Pudding cheered happily as the production crew started to reenter the room, surveying the chaos.

The cameraman went to check on his equipment and was surprised.

His camera was still upright and unharmed. And had been running the entire time, broadcasting live throughout the city.

And was still running.

"Arigato, Mew Zakuro-San," Lettuce said, smiling at the older girl. "We couldn't have done this without you. Please, will you—"

Zakuro did not face any of the girls.

"I don't like friends." She stated. "Don't like working with others."

The four girls shoulders slumped with sighs of defeat.

"But," Zakuro said mysteriously, turning to them with a small smile. "I will make an exception for you girls."

Lettuce's eyes began to water.

"A-Arigato," She said. Unable to stop herself, she threw her arms around Zakuro, who to her surprise hugged her back.

"GROUP HUG, NA NO DA!" Pudding exclaimed, jumping on the two girls, Mint and Ichigo following suit. All the girls laughed as they embraced each other, everyone so happy in that moment.

Then…

They all froze as a spotlight shone on them, their eyes going wide as they saw a camera aimed right at them.

"Are… we on live TV?" Mint asked, blinking a few times. The man behind the camera nodded and gave them a thumbs-up with a smile.

"This whole time?" Lettuce squeaked, feeling like she might pass out, all the blood draining from her face. Again, there was a nod.

"Like, throughout the city, na no da?" Pudding asked excitedly.

"Try the entire country," Zakuro said, her voice blank.

The four other Mew stood frozen.

They had just fought a Chimera.

As Mews.

On live, nation-wide TV.

Lettuce definitely started looking like she was going to pass out then and there. She hated being the center of attention, and right now the camera was aimed at her face. For the entire country to see.

Live.

As in, right now.

That's when the questions began.

"Who are you ladies, and where did you come from?" A man with a microphone asked before shoving it towards Lettuce, who squeaked and continued to turn unhealthy colors, her eyes wide.

"Uh, eh, um, uh, ano…" She muttered, shaking, alternating between being cherry red and ghost white.

Ichigo quickly went to her rescue.

"We five are," She said with a bright smile. "Protectors of justice and heroes of Earth, nya! I'm Mew Ichigo, nya!" She nodded her head towards Mint, whom the camera turned to. Mint gave a small smirk and flashed a peace sign. "This is Mew Mint!" The camera then turned to Pudding.

"Mew Pudding, na no da!" Pudding cried out, her arms in the air.

The camera turned to Zakuro.

"Mew Zakuro," Ichigo introduced. Zakuro gave a nod of her head, lifting the corner of her mouth but otherwise keeping her face blank. Ichigo's smile grew larger. "And, of course, our leader, who taught us to love ourselves for who we are, even if someone else doesn't—"

"To listen to and follow our hearts," Mint said, laying her hands on one of Lettuce's shoulders, to the porpoise Mew's further shock.

"To always be ourselves, no matter what, na no da!" Pudding said, throwing her arms around Lettuce's waist.

"And that being part of a team of friends is much better than facing a challenge alone," Zakuro said, laying her hand on Lettuce's other shoulder, giving her a small smile which Lettuce returned.

"MEW LETTUCE!" The four girls chorused together, hugging their leader and friend.

Lettuce blushed slightly and smiled shyly. She took a deep breath once she was released. She looked straight into the camera and said,

"Together, we are Tokyo Mew Mew. Together, we will fight and protect not only Tokyo, but all of Earth and the ones who call it home. So…"

Lettuce put one hand on her hip, the other hand in the air, her lime green eyes twinkling as the others copied the gesture.

"FOR THE FUTURE OF EARTH, WE'LL GIVE OUR ALL!" They cried together.

Across the city, Keiichiro and Ryou sat watching the broadcast on their computer.

"That's very like them," Keiichiro observed with a smile.

Ryou just shook his head, but couldn't help smiling either.

The Mew Project was officially in full swing.

_Good luck, Tokyo Mew Mew,_ He thought. _Good luck.  
_


	19. Chapter 19

**So, as you've all noticed, I've been using the canon anime and manga as a template for this story so far. I'm still going to be doing so, but if I keep going with what I have planned, it will take a somewhat darker turn than the original stuff. I haven't had much time to work on this story (got hit with a wave of inspiration for Alien Upgrade, so this probably means that this will get the next wave of inspiration) but I am definitely thinking and plotting for this story.**

Chapter Nineteen:

Lettuce yawned as she opened up her bento. It had been late when she finally arrived home, Ichigo having insisted that they all go for ice cream to celebrate the completion of the team and their successful escape from the TV crew. After giving their message, the five mysterious girls of Tokyo Mew Mew disappeared from sight. They found Zakuro Fujiwara and some fans down the hall, who claimed to not have seen any girls like the ones that were described.

After her parents and brother telling her all about what she had missed while she had been out, Lettuce retreated to her room to do not only her homework, but that of the Three Ayas. She had felt like she had just gone to sleep when her alarm went off.

Lettuce had barely stayed awake throughout the morning of classes, dozing off twice. Though she had gotten caught by the teachers doing so, they let her off as she rarely got into trouble or fell asleep in class. One of the Ayas kept poking her to wake her, if for no other reason than so they could copy off her notes later on. Fortunately, it was dodge-ball in P.E. Even fully awake she couldn't have lasted for more than ten seconds, so after getting smacked with the ball directly after the whistle was blown, she went over and fell asleep on the bench only to be woken up by the gym teacher, telling her all the other girls had already left.

So now Lettuce sat with the Three Ayas at their lunch table. Lettuce brought her chopsticks to her mouth, not paying attention to what the other girls were saying until, from another table, she heard,

" 'For the future of Earth, we'll give our all!' Man that sounds so cool…"

"Tokyo Mew Mew is so awesome!"

"Ribbon Strawberry Check!"

"Isn't that little monkey girl adorable?"

"I wish I was a Mew Mew…"

"The purple one is so hot…"

"Mew Ichigo has the cutest dress hands down!"

"Ken, I highly doubt Mew Mint's number is in the phone book."

Lettuce looked all around the room. Everywhere, at every table, everyone was talking about Tokyo Mew Mew.

Even at the table she was sitting at.

"I loved the green-haired girl's dress," The blond Aya said. "She's got killer curves and that dress definitely shows them off in all the right ways perfectly.

"Yeah, she's so beautiful," The red-haired Aya said as she picked up a piece of meat. "And has a very cute smile. She's going to break a lot of boys' hearts. I wonder if she's a model… If she isn't she should be."

"I'd kill for her boots," The black-haired Aya said. "Too bad we didn't get to hear their names, right?"

"I know!" The blond Aya groaned.

"Uh, Lettuce, what up with the creepy face?" The red-haired Aya said, tilting her head to the side, her brow furrowed.

Lettuce couldn't stop smiling her extremely wide smile.

The Three Ayas had for the first time ever complimented her on her appearance. Well, indirectly, but still!

Tokyo Mew Mew was famous!

And as leader of Tokyo Mew Mew, she, nerdy thirteen year old eighth-grader Midorikawa Lettuce, was famous!

Lettuce kept her wide grin all day, practically walking on air as she went through the afternoon with much more energy and attention than the morning.

Lettuce stretched her arms into the air, letting the sun warm her face as she stepped outside the school, ready to put her energy into working at the Café.

"Onee-San!"

Lettuce turned to see Uri run up to her.

"Uri?" She said, her brow furrowing. "What are you doing here?"

"I just got out of school and I ran all the way here so that I could catch you before you go to work," Uri said after panting for a moment when he stopped. He grinned up at his sister and grabbed her hand. "Come on, I want to show you something!"

Lettuce let her younger brother drag her down the street. They walked for a few minutes then entered a park with a nature path.

"I found this place while doing research for my project for the science fair," Uri explained. "I've been taking observing different places around the city and the affects it has on plants. Except, I found something that's really, really cool, but it shouldn't be possible."

"Huh?" Lettuce said, her brow furrowing as Uri derived them from the path, leading into a small clearing. Suddenly, her eyes went wide as she saw the large, beautiful cherry tree.

"It's beautiful," She breathed.

"It's amazing!" Uri said, staring up at the tree with a wide smile.

"I thought all the cherry trees had finished blooming," Lettuce said, approaching the tree, reaching up to pluck a sakura blossom off a branch. "It's almost June. So why is this tree in full bloom?"

"I don't know. There were some college kids out here trying to figure out why the tree is still in bloom, but they kept saying that none of their tests were revealing anything. So I'm gonna find out what's so special about this tree!" Uri said, smiling up at her with his big blue eyes magnified by his glasses. "And I'll win first prize for sure! You're going to come, right? It's three days from now…"

Lettuce smiled and gently ruffled her brother's hair.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" She said.

Uri just beamed.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Lettuce arrived at Café Mew Mew and quickly got changed.

"Everyone was talking about Tokyo Mew Mew at school today, na no da!" Pudding exclaimed excitedly. "We're famous, na no da!"

"And no one has figured out it's us," Mint said as she adjusted her hair with a smile. "Not even when one of the girls in my class noticed that Mew Mint and I have a similar hairstyle."

Ichigo, however, had on a large smile and was swaying slightly, giggling alternatingly.

"I overheard some of the boys talking about the Mews and one boy said that Mew Ichigo was really really cute, nya," She said. "And, then, get this, he asked Aoyama-Kun if he agreed, nya!"

"And?" Lettuce asked kindly as she tied Pudding's apron for her.

Ichigo's grin just got wider.

"And he said, and I quote, 'She's is nice looking, but I think Momomiya-San is much cuter', nya!" She squealed, doing a little happy dance, her ears and tail popping out as she did so. "And then after school, he took me to the park, nya, and he showed me this really pretty cherry blossom tree, nya, and, and I really thought he was going to—"

"Wait," Lettuce said, her brow furrowing. "A cherry blossom tree? In full bloom?"

Ichigo's happy dance paused momentarily as she turned to look at Lettuce.

"Yeah, it was really weird that it was still blooming," She said softly. "Aoyama-Kun said that he'd really like to know why it was doing that. Why?"

"Because my brother showed me a full-bloom cherry blossom tree, too," Lettuce said. "In Inahora Park?"

"No. Chō," Ichigo said, shaking her head.

Before they could marvel about the coincidence in the two trees, or begin to question if something was wrong, the clock chimed, signaling that they only had thirty minutes to finish getting the Café ready.

A few minutes after they opened the doors, the girls paused in their tasks—or, in Mint's case, sipping tea—as Keiichiro got their attention.

"Minna-San," He said, stepping out into the dining room with a large smile. "Zakuro-Chan is ready."

Zakuro stepped out of the hall, wearing a dark purple Café Mew Mew uniform.

The four girls stared in awe (and Mint with heart-shaped eyes) of the beautiful model.

"Zakuro-San, you look so nice!" Lettuce complimented, smiling widely.

"Onee-Sama, you look wonderful!" Mint gushed.

"Zakuro-San, now that you look the part of a waitress, will you please take this to the back table?" Keiichiro kindly asked. Zakuro stared at him for a moment before saying,

"Sure."

She took the plate from him and walked off.

"Eh, Lettuce?" Ichigo whispered, grabbing Lettuce and dragging her a few feet away. "Don't you think we're going to gather some unwanted attention if people find out a famous celebrity like Zakuro works here?"

"Don't worry, Ichigo-San!" Lettuce said, giving her friend a reassuring smile. "I'm sure everything will be just—"

Both girls jumped and turned to stare with wide eyes as they heard a plate slam to a table.

They looked across the room to see a woman cowering under Zakuro's icy stare and scowl as she gestured to the fruit tart on the table.

"Your order. Today's special, mixed berry fruit tart," She said blankly.

"A-Arigato!" The woman squeaked out.

"Enjoy." Zakuro said. It sounded like an order. With that, she just turned on her heel and sauntered away.

"Well… uh…" Lettuce said, blinking a few times.

"No one is going to relate the cheerful, smiling model to the surly, unsociable Café Mew Mew waitress?" Ichigo said, biting her lip.

"Yeah… we'll go with that for right now…" Lettuce said, biting her own lip.

_This is going to be so bad for business…_ She thought. One look at Ichigo's face told her that the red-haired cat girl was thinking the exact same thing she was. Both girls sighed, knowing this could only mean more work for them.

A few hours later, the customers were gone and the Café cleaned.

Lettuce yawned as she leaned on her broom.

"I'm exhausted," She said, closing her eyes, wondering if she'd fall asleep standing up.

"They really hit us hard today," Mint commented as she stirred some sugar into her tea cup.

"How would you know, Mint?" Ichigo snapped, raising her head from a table.

Before a fight could start out, Keiichiro stepped out from the kitchen, smiling broadly, a large cake in his hands.

"You all did wonderful today!" He praised. "Now, you all must be hungry!"

He place the cake down on the table and girls saw that there were tiny representations of their Mew forms in the form of shaped fondant topping the cake.

"So cute!" The four younger girls chimed together, while Zakuro just nodded approvingly.

"What's the occasion, Keiichiro-San?" Lettuce asked, looking up at the tall man.

"It's to celebrate that all five Mew Mews have been found and are now working together," Keiichiro said.

"Let's eat, na no da!" Pudding said excitedly.

"Hey, Keiichiro. I told you to save that for later."

The girls turned to see Ryou emerge from the basement, frowning at his friend, who smiled sheepishly.

"Now, Shirogane, if you're going to be mean like that, I'll just eat your share!" Ichigo said both chidingly and teasingly.

"I don't need any, so go ahead, eat my share and get fat, see if I care," Ryou said to Ichigo, who fumed. Ryou, successful in getting a rise out of Ichigo, turned to the other girls, his eyes momentarily lingering on Lettuce while only giving a short glance at Zakuro. "We have something to talk about. Come down to the basement."

The girls nodded and headed for the stairs, Ichigo grumbling,

"We were just about to celebrate then he shows his stupid face and ruins the mood…"

"Ichigo-San, Ryou-San has an important reason to talk to us," Lettuce said soothingly. "He wouldn't have asked us to come down here otherwise."

"Lettuce is right," Ryou called from the head of the line, Pudding running into his back as he stopped suddenly. The blond monkey looked confused, but neither stumbled. "It is because the five have gathered that we need to talk. The real fight begins now. The enemy is getting serious."

"Personally, I don't think he can be anything but," Mint mumbled, thinking of the blank expression that Pie always wore.

"Regardless, we need to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead," Ryou said, continuing down the stairs.

The five girls exchanged glances, but then continued down the stairs as well.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

A cherry blossom petal fell into Pie's palm.

"It is almost time," He muttered as the petal dissolved against his hand, disintegrating until it wasn't even considered dust. He folded his legs and relaxed his muscles, leaning against the tree, his slit pupils adjusting as the sun continued to lower in the pink and orange sky that darkened and darkened as the seconds passed.

He was a hunter, and in time his prey would come to him.

All he had to do was wait.

_Soon, she will be gone,_ He thought to himself. _And then I can continue on my mission, my mind clear of all thoughts of her._

_Here is where we will part ways forever, Sashimi._

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

The five girls stepped into the dark room, the only light source disappearing as the doors closed behind them.

Suddenly, the room lit up dimly.

The girls stood in a row, Lettuce in the middle, Ichigo and Mint on either side of her, Pudding standing beside Ichigo and Zakuro beside Mint.

"Whoa…" Pudding whispered. "Pudding's never seen this part of the Café before, na no da."

"I told you that this was our secret base," Ryou said, his arms folded over his chest. "I wasn't wrong."

"Shirogane, what is this about?" Zakuro demanded, her eyes still cold.

"I need to make sure that the situation is clear to everyone," Ryou said, closing his eyes. "Keiichiro and I have already discussed this somewhat with Lettuce, but we haven't had a chance to do so with the rest of you girls. And now that all five are gathered, this is the best time to do so."

Ryou's blue-green eyes opened.

"The Earth is being targeted," He said, not even bothering to sugar-coat anything. "Clearly, the Earth isn't as perfect as it once was. We only have ourselves to blame for that. However, over the past decade, strange data has been gathered. We—Keiichiro, myself, and another scientist who is no longer with us—have been researching intensively to comprehend the data. The conclusion was shocking. Someone—or, depending on how you want to look at it, something—is adding to the destruction of the environment. And, most disturbingly, the technology used is far too advanced to be from Earth."

"The aliens," Lettuce whispered. Ryou nodded.

"We discovered inadvertently that they refer to their species as 'Cyniclon'. From what we can determine, they plan to destroy and then recreate the Earth. However, we have yet to learn the reasoning behind this. Nevertheless, they want to destroy every living thing on this planet," Ryou said. "Plants, animals, humans. Anything and everything. They want this planet as theirs. But in the end, we know nothing. Nothing is absolute as to their true purpose."

"Most of this is speculation," Zakuro observed.

Ryou turned to look at her and they locked eyes momentarily, then Ryou moved his gaze to meet eyes with the other girls.

"The only thing we are sure of is this: if we don't stop these aliens now, there is no future on this planet. For everyone and everything." Ryou said grimly.

"How can you be sure of that?" Zakuro said coldly, her arms folded over her chest. Again, Ryou turned his eyes back to her and held her steely gaze.

"The final thing that convinced me of this is you girls," Ryou said.

"Us?" Mint whispered, her brow furrowed. Ryou turned to her and his eyes instantly softened and he nodded.

"The gray wolf," He said, a picture of a large wolf appearing on the screen alongside a picture of Zakuro in her Mew form. "Zakuro."

The picture was replaced by a orange monkey and Mew Pudding.

"The Golden Lion Tamarin, Pudding," He continued.

"The Iriomote Wildcat, Ichigo," Ryou said as a picture of a small cat and Mew Ichigo appeared side-by-side, quickly followed by that of a blue bird and Mew Mint. "The Ultramarine Lorikeet, Mint.

"And, of course," Ryou said, the corner of his mouth lifting as the finless porpoise appeared on screen next to a still-shot taken the night before of Mew Lettuce, one hand on her hip and the other in the air. "The Finless Porpoise, Mew Lettuce."

Lettuce blushed shyly as he aimed his smile at her and she started fiddling with the tip of her braid.

"You girls are what convinced me that all this has happened for a reason, that we are all gathered right here, right now, for a reason," Ryou said. "As you may or may not know, Keiichiro and I were aiming to fuse the Red Data DNA with other Red Data animals. However, a sudden earthquake struck—"

"One that no one can remember. Except for us." Ichigo said softly. Ryou just nodded.

"And as a result, you girls were infused instead." He smiled sadly at the floor. "I don't believe in coincidences. And this certainly cannot be one. I believe the Earth is fighting back," He said. "The Earth wanted you girls as her protector. That's why you were all chosen, all compatible with the DNA…"

There was silence for a long moment, then Lettuce raised her hand. Ryou blinked in surprise and said,

"Lettuce?"

"Well, ano, I was just wondering," Lettuce said, playing with her fingertips and avoiding Ryou's eyes—which she could feel staring at her—as she turned red. "I know _why_ we have to fight, but, how _long_ do we have to fight? Or, more accurately, how long do we have a _chance_ to fight? Do we need to defeat the aliens within a certain time period? What if our powers go before the aliens do? Or are we stuck with them for the entirety of our lives?"

The other girls listened keenly for the answer, all wondering the same thing.

"You will have your powers until the Cyniclons are defeated," Ryou said. "But we don't know how long this fight will last. It could be over in a month. A year. A decade."

"What if they never quit?" Lettuce asked softly. "What if we keep thinking we defeated them all just by defeating one and they keep sending more?"

There was silence in the room.

"Can… can they do that, na no da?" Pudding asked, her brow furrow.

"It's… possible," Keiichiro said. "If this lasts longer than two years, we will begin looking for alternate ways to prevent the aliens from returning."

"Don't worry," Ryou said. "Now that you're _finally_ together as a team, I don't think this be long at all."

Zakuro glowered at him when he put emphasis on the word _finally_. She knew full well that that was aimed at her. He was either oblivious or doing a real good job at faking so when he tucked his arms behind his head.

"Well, that ends the grand speech," He said, heading for the door. "Let's go eat cake."

The five girls stayed in the basement, in silence.

Lettuce felt like a hand was wrapped around her heart and was squeezing it tightly.

How long was she going to have to fight? How could she live a normal life like this? What if, like Ichigo had, she found someone, a boy whom she fell in love with and fell in love with her? Would she, could she, tell him who she truly was?

Besides that, there was a tugging at her heart that told her that this just wasn't right.

"You don't like it," Zakuro said as she observed Lettuce. "The fighting."

"I… I believe that there are better ways for conflicts to be resolved," Lettuce said shyly. She looked up at the older girl. "Is that wrong?"

Zakuro smiled softly.

"No," She said. "It's very noble, actually. I am glad that you are our leader. You are not blood-thirsty or power-hungry. Instead, you are just doing what you can for the ones you care about. Your heart and intentions are pure. You desire peace. Nothing else. Perhaps, had war leaders of the past thought more like you, history would not be so bloody."

With that, Zakuro affectionately stroked Lettuce's cheek and went upstairs. Lettuce smiled and the other girls following, Mint lagging behind, stunned and whining about wanting to be complimented by Zakuro as well.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty:

Lettuce walked through the halls with a new spring in her step the next day.

_I was alone before, _She thought brightly. _Alone in ways I didn't want to admit. But now I have four friends and together we're unstoppable._

Still, her friends couldn't be with her all the time. Like at school. There, she was still at the Three Ayas mercy.

"I didn't study at all for the math test last night," The blond Aya groaned as she flopped down in her seat before homeroom began. Then she suddenly had a mischievous smirk. "Lettuce-Chan, you'll let me copy your answers, won't you?"

"Uh…" Lettuce said, instantly turning red at the sudden focus on her. "Um, uh…"

"Come on, do it for your best friend? Pretty please?" The blond Aya said, batting her eyelashes.

"Hey, that's not fair, _I'm_ Lettuce-Chan's best friend!" The black-haired Aya said, not having studied either. "Let me copy too!"

"What, you're going to let _them_ copy but not _me_?" The red-haired Aya said, feigning hurt. "That's mean, Lettuce-Chan…"

"I-I…" Lettuce gulped. "I don't think… that's cheating… and we really shouldn't…"

"It's not cheating, it's friends helping friends," The red-haired Aya insisted.

"If you don't let us copy your answers, then you're obviously not our friend," The black-haired Aya said. "So, are you our friend or not?"

Lettuce's face paled. Caught between a rock and a hard place. How it always happened. She gulped silently. Did she risk getting caught cheating or go back to being at the mercy of the other students and their jeers and teasing, stealing her glasses and pulling her hair?

"Come on, if you let us, we'll have a sleepover to celebrate," The blond-Aya said temptingly.

The thought of a sleepover with the Three Ayas did sound enticing. But…

She thought of the pajama party she had shared with Mint, Ichigo and Pudding just two nights before. Hitting each other with pillows and brushing each other's hair, laughing and enjoying each other's company. Would she experience that with the Three Ayas? Would she leave that party feeling like she had missed something?

Yes, yes she would. She knew it deep in her heart.

She could fake it all she wanted, but these three girls were not her friends.

And she had to stand up to them.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

She was Mew Lettuce, leader of Tokyo Mew Mew, full of courage and confidence.

It was time Midorikawa Lettuce used some of that courage.

Lettuce opened her eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, the homeroom teacher entered the room, leaving no time for a response as the Ayas grudgingly took their seats. The blond haired Aya quickly scribbled a note and passed it to Lettuce as the teacher put away the roll call book, not looking out at the classroom.

_**Yes or no?**_ It read.

Lettuce was about to circle her response when Sensei pulled out a bowl full of slips of paper.

"Alright, class, everyone is now going to pull slips of paper with their new seating assignments for now until the end of the semester," She said. "When we come back from summer break, we will do this again."

There were some groans, lots of students enjoying their seating for lighting, note-passing and gossip. However, Lettuce's heart sang.

She would not have to stand up to the Three Ayas!

But her heart also broke some.

She couldn't stand up for herself as a regular human.

_As long as you are in your normal form, you are weak._

Lettuce froze.

Why were Pie's words ringing through her head?

Ten minutes later, Lettuce sat in the front row at the seat closest to the door. The silently fuming Ayas were scattered across the classroom.

They wouldn't get a chance to cheat off of Lettuce's work for the rest of the semester, and potentially the rest of the year. And they were going to fail that morning's math test. However, they did not fault her for it, just complained about Sensei.

Lettuce took a deep breath and released it slowly, allowing herself to relax and calm.

Because she knew, deep in her heart, everything would be fine, as long as she did her best.

She smiled at that thought.

_I just need to do my best! For the future of Earth, I_ will _give my all!_

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Everything was surprisingly going well that afternoon at Café Mew Mew.

Lettuce and Ichigo were happy to see that as the hours went on, Zakuro lightened up. It wasn't by much, but she didn't slam food on the tables anymore. They were just set down with a little more force than necessary.

And Mint was actually working after Ichigo made a comment about how if Fujiwara Zakuro-Sama could wait tables, so could Mint. She still took her tea break, but that was expected.

So Lettuce knew it was bad when Ryou entered the dining room with a grim face.

"We are closing," He told the girls. "Have all the customers leave in the next 30 minutes."

"Huh?" Ichigo said, her brow furrowed, a silver tray in her hands. "Why, Shirogane?"

But Lettuce's heart caught in her throat. She knew the answer before Zakuro could bitterly spit out,

"The enemy."

Ryou looked over his shoulder at the five girls staring at him.

"We're looking into it," He promised. "By the time everyone is gone, we will know the all the facts."

The girls exchanged glances, but it was only when Lettuce gave a nod that they went back to work.

A half hour later, the girls stood in a row in the secret headquarters, hearts pounding.

Without preamble, Ryou began to speak.

"We have discovered that the plants in the area that have been contaminated," He said. "And that the poison would be released tonight, releasing the toxins into the air."

"Tonight, na no da?" Pudding breathed, her eyes going wide.

"Which means that if we didn't find out about this now, we'd be dead by tomorrow," Mint said, shocked.

Lettuce swallowed hard at that thought. How easily everyone in this entire city could have died in their sleep, tucked snug and warm in their beds.

"How are we going to stop this from happening, Ryou-San?" She asked, clenching a fist.

"It would take too much time to destroy them one by one. We need to destroy the source," Ryou said. "There are five large cherry blossom trees in the city that are blooming when it is pass their time. We discovered that each flower blossomed simultaneously with the other trees. Each tree has one flower that has not bloomed. When that last flower blooms, which will be tonight, the toxins from all the plants will be released. However, if the trees are destroyed before this can happen, the poison won't be released.

"But, like each flower on each tree blooming simultaneously, each tree has to be destroyed simultaneously. It will be disastrous if one of the trees were destroyed even a second before or after the others. It has to be done all at once."

"What would happen if they weren't destroyed all at once?" Ichigo asked. "What would we do then?"

"Nothing," Ryou said grimly. "We could do absolutely nothing. The toxins would be released instantly if the trees weren't destroyed at the exact same second. It would all come at once, overwhelming and overpowering. The entire city of Tokyo, ourselves included, would be dead within five minutes.

"At the center is a cherry tree in Inahora Park."

Lettuce's heart caught as she saw the picture on the screen.

Uri's tree, the one he was so excited about studying, the one he was determined to win the science-fair with. It had to be destroyed. Yet, it didn't feel right for anyone else to destroy it.

It had to be her.

"I'll take that one," She whispered, fighting back her tears.

Ryou nodded.

"The rest of you can decide how you want to split up," He said.

"The one in Chō park," Ichigo said softly, though she looked just as heartbroken over it as Lettuce did. "Aoyama-Kun's tree. I'll take care of that one."

"Pudding will take the one near the zoo, na no da!" Pudding said.

"The one in Sakura Park," Zakuro said.

"And I'll take the one near the Shrine," Mint said with a nod.

"We're counting on you," Ryou said. "Good luck. Oh, wait, you have a name now, don't you?" He suddenly grinned and stretched out his arm. "Tokyo Mew Mew! Go!"

"MEW MEW ZAKURO!" Zakuro cried out, kissing her pendant before bringing it down to her navel.

"MEW MEW PUDDING!" Pudding cried out, giving her pendant a quick kiss before bringing it up to her forehead.

"MEW MEW ICHIGO!" Ichigo shouted, a kitty-fang poking out as she smiled broadly, gently kissing her pendant then pressing her palms together, the golden oval in between them.

"MEW MEW MINT!" Mint said, kissing her pendant then bringing it to rest between the markings on her back.

"MEW MEW LETTUCE!" Lettuce cried out, kissing her own pendant and then bringing it down to the mark on her chest.

"METAMORPHO-SIS!" The five girls cried out together.

The warmth that wrapped around Lettuce was stronger than before, lighter, happier, sunnier.

She smiled as it embraced her, as she embraced it.

Finally, they were complete.

Finally, they were a team.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Uri tucked the leaves into his box, along with his vials of dirt and other samples he had gathered that day. He looked up again at the cherry blossoms and nodded.

"That should do it," He said to himself, heading for the wood-line.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound. His eyes widened and his heart pounded as he turned around.

"Hello?" He called shakily. "Who's there?"

No one responded. Still shaking some, Uri turned back to the path.

"It-it was just the wind," He told himself. "You're hearing things…"

"It would be good if you have a nice dream."

Uri froze at the deep, rumbling voice. He turned around, looking around wildly.

"An eternal dream."

Uri dropped his box.

"Who's there? Who are you?" He yelled.

"Sleep well. Forever."

Uri felt his eyes drift close, the scent of cherry blossoms filling his nostrils as he fell softly to the ground, lying in the soft grass as a gust of wind blew the blossoms over his head, scattering them.

Pie appeared at the base of the tree, reaching up to catch one of the petals in his hand. He stared at it for a moment before releasing it back into the wind.

"T-Minus five minutes till poison release," He said out-loud, though the only person around to hear him was the unconscious little boy. He tilted his head back to watch the blossoms float away. So innocent… and yet it would be the undoing of the humans.

And then Earth would once again rightfully belong to Deep Blue and the Cyniclons.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Lettuce ran through the woods, panting slightly, but not stopping. She had to get to the tree before it was too late. She ran into the clearing and skidded to a stop with a gasp as the long-eared, lavender-haired, broad-shouldered figure standing in front of the tree turned to face her.

"Pie-San!" She gasped.

Slowly but deliberately, Pie turned to the girl.

"You have kept me waiting, Sashimi," Pie said, his voice and face showing no emotion as usual.

"Gomen-nasai." The words were out of her mouth before she could think.

Pie frowned ever so slightly, tilting his head a single degree.

"I wonder, if I were to slit your throat, would you waste your final breaths apologizing for your blood staining my blade?" He asked.

It took a lot of restraint for Lettuce to not reach up and rub her throat.

Pie turned his face away from her, looking up to the tree.

"You are too late. In less than four minutes, twenty-three seconds, the human city known as Tokyo will fall," He said, laying his hand on the bark of the tree.

Lettuce looked up. On the edge of a branch, difficult to see at first, more than likely overlooked while surrounded by hundreds of beautiful blooms, was a bud. Slowly, though, it was starting to blossom.

And when it did, Tokyo would die.

"Why are you doing this?" Lettuce asked, turning to Pie. "How can you turn something so beautiful as a cherry blossom into something so deadly?"

Pie glared at her out of the corner of his eye.

"You accuse me of defacing something beautiful?" He snapped. "It is you humans who know nothing about beauty. I was horrified when I first arrived on this once beautiful planet. The ugly scars left by humans were obvious everywhere I looked: machines emitting fumes and dripping crude oils; litter everywhere, even in the oceans; entire species of plants and animals destroyed through overhunting and carelessness; the ozone layer weakening; the night skies once dark and full of stars dimmed. Irreparable damage caused by generations of humans. This planet once belonged to my people. And we will make it ours again, after we have destroyed the entire human race and reshaped the world, restoring it to its former glory, to how it was before the plague known as humans came."

Lettuce hung her head some.

"We know that we have not been a good steward of our planet," She said softly. "We know there are some things we can never fix. But we want to try, want to improve our environment."

Pie lifted his hand from the tree and he turned to face her again.

"I have seen the humans' attempts to right their wrongs. But I tell you now that it will be impossible. There is only one true way that Earth will become beautiful again."

Pie's eyes glowed red briefly as he said,

"With the extinction of the human race."

"Pie-San, please!" She said. "Yes, what has happened to Earth is wrong, but so is genocide! Perhaps there is a way—"

"No. There is no other solution," Pie snapped, snarling at her. "In less than three minutes, every human in the city of Tokyo will die. But you, my dear Sashimi… You will not die of the poison this tree will release.

"No. You will die at _my_ hand."

Lettuce's eyes widened as she watched Pie disappear, then reappear in front of her. She let out a cry of surprise, as she stumbled backwards, leaving Pie floating where she had stood only a second before.

She blinked for a fraction of a second and he was gone. Before she could figure out where he had went, she felt something against her back.

"You are too slow," Pie hissed as he pressed his back to hers. Her eyes widened even further than they had been a moment before. "You can never escape."

Lettuce jumped away, determined to get to the tree. How much time was left? She knew the clock was ticking.

Pie landed on the ground in front of her. His smile was cruel, though his eyes were blank and cold as he raised his arm, bringing out the red and gold fans she had seen before.

"Sayonara, Mew Lettuce," He said, lunging.

Lettuce screamed as she quickly dodged, swinging out with her fist, catching Pie on the jaw. To her surprise, he went reeling, twisting in the air.

Lettuce struggled to regain her breath while Pie floated, blank-faced, staring down at her. A bruise was starting to form on his jaw where Lettuce struck him. Lettuce wondered briefly if it showed so quickly because his skin was so pale, or if his race just bruised easier.

There was a beat of silence.

"You are an _odd_ little human," Pie stated suddenly. "You appear to be weak and frail, not even able to protect yourself let alone this planet and the race known as 'Human'. But then you surprise me. And then you do _this_." He said, placing two fingers to his jawbone. "You have a fighting spirit. It is weak, but it is there. It is always there when you do not want to die."

He paused for a fraction of a second, lowering his arm to his side, then he continued,

"My offer still stands. Come with me, and your life will be spared. You will not be at risk in any way, shape or form." He stretched out his arm, hand held out towards her. "Come with me, Mew Lettuce."

Lettuce trembled, but she held her head high,

"I will not abandon my friends," She said.

"Your friends…" Pie said, tilting his head. "Would these 'friends' be the same girls who bully you? The girls who desire to take credit for your work and treat you worse than a slave, ordering you about and insulting you? Your so-called 'friends' are the epitome of the human race: taking advantage of things they do not deserve. Humans are cruel and heartless. For some reason, you are not so, and I truly believe it to be a genetic anomaly. Why do you bother protecting them? Would it not be simpler to come with me, to rebuild this planet, to populate it with people who not only respect each other, but the planet itself? Tell me: _what do you see in these humans who mistreat you personally that makes them worth saving_?"

His cold violet eyes bore into her bright, lime-green ones. Lettuce could practically feel him looking into her soul, her heart.

Why did she fight for these people?

The boys who pulled her braids. The girls who laughed at her large glasses. The pretty, popular girls who would tell her to her face that she was ugly, that she would never have a boyfriend. The loud, rowdy boys who took her books and called her a nerd.

She was the easy target. The one who cried when her clothes and shoes disappeared. The girl who brought her own lunch so that she carried no money to school just to be taken. The one always purposefully tripped. The girl who just stopped going to the adults when there was a problem because despite what the grown-ups thought, they just couldn't make the situation better.

And yet she tried so hard to make friends with these people, possibly even _too_ hard, to belong even when it they tried to make it clear that it just wasn't possible. The Ayas only let her into their circle reluctantly, after realizing that in her desperation for companionship, she would do anything and everything they asked.

So why was she there, why was she facing down an alien who wished to destroy the same people who made her live miserable? And what about the murderers, the drunks, the abusive parents and spouses, the cruel dictators, the thieves and other people who were labeled 'not good' by the world?

Suddenly, four beams of light filled the sky: blue, pink, orange and purple.

They both turned to look up at the lights; Lettuce knew instantly that the other Mews were waiting for her to begin destroying the trees. She looked at Pie, who met her gaze. Suddenly, her eyes began to glow.

"I fight for the mothers who kiss their children good-night. I fight for the men who work long hours to make sure that their family has enough to eat every day. I fight for the people who pick up spilled groceries that someone else dropped. I fight for the people who hold open doors for others, who without being asked, who just want to help another living being.

"I see it every day. There are good people in this world," She said. "They are my friends. My _true_ friends. And I will never, ever abandon them. And, with my friends, we will protect this city, and this planet, and every living thing on it."

With that, she brought her arms over her chest, her wrists crossing over her Mew Mark.

"LETTUSTANETS!" She called, bringing the weapons to her hands.

She glanced up at the last bud; it was starting to open. She knew she only had seconds.

"Last chance." Pie said softly.

Lettuce squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. She leapt up in the tree without a backwards glance.

"RIBBON—"

"Foolish, naïve human," Pie said grimly.

"LETTUCE—"

"Do you not care that you are about to die?" Pie murmured, a frown tugging on his lips.

"RUSH!" Lettuce yelled, striking the tree with every bit of power inside of her.

Pie watched as the light spread throughout the sky, the green and the blue and the pink and the orange and the purple overlapping each other, blending together, mixing.

The leaves and petals on the tree disappeared.

Tokyo was saved.

Pie tilted his head as he stared at the back of the green-haired girl crouched on the ground, regaining her breath.

"You are too trusting of others. It will be your downfall, Sashimi," He said. "You are not a warrior and never will be."

"Good," Lettuce whispered, knowing Pie could hear her.

There was silence as Pie reached up to touch his tender jaw briefly.

"We will meet again, Sashimi," He said, turning away. "Be grateful, for today I have spared your life. Tomorrow, I will not be as generous."

He disappeared as Lettuce turned around.

All was still and silent.

She slowly rose to her feet, trembling slightly, using the tree as her support.

She gazed up at the empty branches. She bowed her head.

"I am sorry, Tree-San. But it had to be done. I needed to save the city. I know what, come springtime, you will once again be as beautiful as you were when the sun set this evening," She said.

She raised her head some, preparing to leave. Then, suddenly, her blood froze as she heard a very familiar voice behind her.

"Lettuce? Onee-Chan?"

She turned to the speaker, and wished she hadn't. After all, she already knew exactly who had spoken.

She stared, wide-eyed, at Uri, who looked up at her curiously.

"Lettuce?" He whispered.

And all she could do was stand there, frozen.


End file.
